China holds gala tour overseas

Six troupes will stage 33 shows in 16 countries, regions this year

The 2018 Spring Festival gala for overseas Chinese will tour 29 cities, according to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council on Tuesday.

One art troupe started its tour to the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao on Friday, and another five art troupes will start their performances worldwide from Feb 17, said the office.

The six art troupes are expected to stage a total of 33 gala shows for Chinese living in 16 countries and regions across North America, South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

The annual gala tour dates back to 2009. Since then, 69 troupes have been sent to dozens of countries and regions, said Tan Tianxing, deputy director of the office.

There have been 417 shows staged in 303 cities around the world, attracting an audience of 6.1 million, according to Tan.

Elsewhere, a special performance by an art troupe from China's Guizhou province was held in Kathmandu on Tuesday to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival. The event, entitled Colorful Guizhou, organized by the China Cultural Center in Nepal, drew an audience of about 200 people including government officials, political leaders, students and the Chinese community living in the country.

Addressing the event, Yu Hong, the Chinese ambassador to Nepal, said such events provide an opportunity for the Nepali people to understand more about Chinese culture.

She said the political, economic and cultural relations between the countries are being strengthened every day, adding that China will always support Nepal for its overall development endeavors.

Agni Prasad Sapkota, Nepal's former information and communication minister, said "such programs are important to enhance cultural ties and I believe it will contribute to Nepal's stability, development and prosperity".

Harmony

According to the China Cultural Center in Nepal, the event, which included acrobats, ethnic songs and dance performances, will boost harmony and communication between the peoples of the two countries.

During the show, Chinese artists treated the audience to a number of ethnic and modern performances. Guizhou dance, Basha men dance, bone shrinking art, leaf music, Fanpai wooden drum dance were some of the highlights.

Various cultural events including music and dance performance, photo exhibitions and art shows are also being held in Nepal to celebrate the Spring Festival.

In Ethiopia on Monday, Chinese troupes staged performances at the National Theater of Ethiopia. The event was attended by Chinese, Ethiopians and other nationals who are living in Addis Ababa.

At the end of the event, Tan Jian, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, said the performance enabled Ethiopians and other foreigners to better understand Chinese culture, and helped enhance cultural exchanges among countries.

"Today, we have a lot of Chinese here. We have also some friends from Ethiopia and people from other diplomatic missions have come to enjoy the wonderful evening," he said.

"By watching this performance, (they) enjoy the night. I believe Ethiopian people as well as friends from other countries have good taste of the Chinese culture."

Xinhua