Mauritian President Anerood Jugnauth and his wife joined the
Chinese community Thursday night in celebrating the Chinese
traditional Spring Festival that fell on Wednesday.
The president was very pleased to watch dancing, singing and
acrobatic playing by actors, singers and dancers from China's
southern province of Yunnan, who arrived here on Tuesday specially
for the Chinese new year celebrations.
Accompanied by Mahendra Gowressoo, the Minister of Arts and
Culture, Tang Wah Hing, the Minister of Youth and Sports, and other
senior government officials as well as Chinese Ambassador to
Mauritius, Gao Yuchen, Jugnauth and his wife seemed to have enjoyed
the show in high spirits together with some 1000 audiences.
In his opening address, Mahendra Gowressoo said that the Chinese
community is a very important element in the development of
Mauritius' multi-cultural society.
The Indian Ocean island country is only one among African
nations which declared Chinese Spring Festival as a national
holiday together with Christmas and Dewali, the most important
festival in India.
"The whole nation shared the happiness and pleasure with the
Chinese community in celebrating the year of Rat, which symbolizes
a good beginning and lucky," the minister said.
Pei Fang Chu Ching Kow, President of Spring Festival Committee
under the Federation of Chinese Societies, Mauritian Minister of
Youth and Sports, Tang Wah Hing, and Chinese Ambassador to the
country, Gao Yuchen, also addressed the opening ceremony.
Actors, singers and dancers from the Yunnan Art Group, showed
their talents and skills, winning loud applauds from the audience
during their show.
Dancers and Chinese wushu players from the Chinese Cultural
Center also gave their showed at the stage.
(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2008)
