Artists perform in Helsinki to celebrate Chinese New Year. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
On Wednesday, a series of Happy Spring Festival overseas cultural exchange activities to celebrate the Year of the Snake were kicked off in Helsinki, hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Finland and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and organized by the Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center.
At Helsinki Airport, a pipa performance heralded the prelude to the activities, with actors conveying the joy of the new year through their graceful dances. In the center of Helsinki, Kamppi Square welcomed a Spring Festival temple fair. Among the diverse temple fair activities, the Beijing Intangible Cultural Heritage exhibition area became the focus of attention. At the exhibition area for the craftsmanship of hardwood furniture making, Nan Hongguo, the executive curator of the Beijing Longshuncheng Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, demonstrated the exquisite mortise and tenon technique on-site. Lin Hongkui, the fifth-generation representative inheritor of colorfully sculpted Peking Opera facial makeup, painted facial masks live, attracting a large number of local residents to participate in the creation and experience the festive atmosphere of traditional Chinese folklore amidst laughter and joy.
Artists perform in Helsinki to celebrate Chinese New Year. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
According to statistics, as many as 30,000 people participated in the temple fair activities in the afternoon of that day.
In the evening, the Savoy Theatre in Helsinki turned into a sea of joy, where the grand artistic evening performance to celebrate the Year of the Snake was staged. The ensemble brought a mixed chamber music performance that cleverly fused Chinese and Western musical elements. Classic tracks such as "Celebrating the New Year" and "Chasing the Moonlit Clouds" were given new life in their interpretation, with melodious melodies lingering in the air of the theatre, providing the audience with an auditory feast.
The visiting delegation will also visit local schools in Helsinki to continue spreading the seeds of Chinese culture and contribute to Sino-Finnish cultural exchanges.
