This year's Spring Festival, ushering in the Year of the Snake, is the first to be celebrated since it was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
To commemorate this global recognition, a special Spring Festival celebration was held Friday afternoon at Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School (PKXYS) in Longhua District. The event brought together over 400 Chinese people and international friends to explore Chinese intangible cultural heritage and enjoy a unique and memorable Spring Festival experience.
The celebration featured a vibrant market offering traditional local snacks such as cotton candy, glutinous rice balls, and rice pudding, as well as Hong Kong and Macao specialties like egg tarts and egg waffles. Additionally, traditional intangible cultural heritage booths and interactive games offered participants the chance to learn about and even try their hand at Chinese cultural crafts, such as printmaking and Hakka summer-hat weaving.
The Longhua International Cooperation Center (LICC) had a booth that showcased its range of services, which are designed to assist expats in settling into and engaging with the local community.At the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) booth, a long line of expats eagerly waited to try aijiu, known as moxibustion in English. This ancient therapy uses moxa, which is made from dried Chinese mugwort leaves, to stimulate specific acupuncture points or areas of the body. It is believed to promote healing, improve circulation, and restore balance to the body's energy.Cameroonian postgraduate student Mary Justin Bilongo, from the Harbin Institute of Technology in Shenzhen, shared: “This is my first time trying [aijiu]. I feel good afterward and think it helps relieve the stress in my back.”
Food also played a significant role in connecting people from diverse backgrounds. Haris Memic, a self-proclaimed foodie from Montenegro, was delighted to discover new dishes.
“I came here today to experience Chinese culture and see something new, as I have been living here for six years. Events like this are great for helping foreigners understand Chinese culture, food, and traditions. This is important because many foreigners don’t get to see this overseas. When you come here and see how everything is so nice and unexpected, it really promotes Chinese culture and helps foreigners learn more about it,” Memic said.Jose Antonio Vigara, from Spain, also expressed his appreciation. “I think these kinds of activities are very interesting for foreigners like me because we can always learn new things about China’s intangible heritage and culture,” he said. Before the event began, Zhang Qizhen, a senior high school student at PKXYS, shared her enthusiasm for introducing foreigners to Spring Festival couplets, noting that they are an essential part of Chinese New Year celebrations that symbolize hopes and blessings for the coming year.
Beyond traditional elements, advanced technologies added a modern twist to the event. Drones and 3D equipment were used in performances and displays, breathing new life into the ancient celebration. The event also featured cutting-edge technologies and devices.
The celebration reached its peak as Chinese locals and expats gathered around dinner tables to enjoy a gala featuring a variety of performances, including singing, dancing, magic shows, and traditional acrobatics.
Cao Saixian, director general of the Shenzhen Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, extended New Year greetings to friends from both China and abroad during her speech at the gala. She mentioned that the event not only showcased Shenzhen's practice of deep integration between traditional culture and modern elements but also allowed everyone to experience the city's vibrant life and create enduring memories of intangible cultural heritage.
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