Chinese artists bring joy of Spring Festival to New Zealand capital

Actors perform a dance during the "Festival of Spring" Chinese Lunar New Year Gala Night in Wellington, New Zealand, Feb. 15, 2024. The "Festival of Spring" is a national cultural brand hosted by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of China's State Council, and the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, a Chinese civic organization. (Photo by Meng Tao/Xinhua)

WELLINGTON, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The "Festival of Spring" Chinese Lunar New Year Gala Night was held on Thursday night in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.

About 1,500 people enjoyed the two-hour show at the St James Theatre, home of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. The evening brought together the traditional Peking Opera, classic songs, festive songs and dances, as well as stunning Gong Fu and acrobatic performances, which perfectly presented the charm of Chinese culture and art to the audience. During the performance, applause and cheers came one after another.

Alice, a local citizen, said that the Chinese martial arts performance was profound and worthy of being the quintessence of China. "These theatrical performances could always transcend race, color and language differences and directly touch people's heart to promote people-to-people exchange."

"Civilizations will be all the richer by mutual appreciation and mutual learning," said Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong. "In Chinese folklore, the high-flying dragon symbolizes strength, wisdom and achievement."

"Let's work together to carry forward the spirit of the dragon, enhance exchanges and mutual understanding, and take our bilateral relationship to the next level, to the greater benefit of the two peoples," the ambassador added.

Yi Zhang, chairperson of the 2024 "Festival of Spring" Art Troupe, attributed his gratitude to the overseas Chinese for their contribution to the friendly exchanges between China and New Zealand.

"The overseas Chinese living in Wellington live in harmony with the locals, actively promote Chinese culture, and have made positive contributions to promoting New Zealand's economic and social development and friendly exchanges between China and New Zealand," Zhang said.

The "Festival of Spring" is a national cultural brand hosted by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of China's State Council, and the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, a Chinese civic organization. This year, the "Festival of Spring" art troupe from China comprised 35 artists who started their tour performances from Auckland on Tuesday.