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Published: February 11,2024
Gao Lei , Gao Yuxiang
Staff members and passengers pose for photos during a Spring Festival celebration event on the train G1426, February 9, 2024. /Xinhua
“Happy Chinese New Year” is now the most common greeting in China. People are immersed in the joyful atmosphere of the Spring Festival. Conventionally as a moment for all Chinese families to reunite, strengthen bonds, and wish good luck for the new year, the festival has now become an international holiday celebrated by the whole world.
The United Nations floating holiday: An internationalization step
On December 22, 2023, the 78th United Nations (UN) General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution designating the Chinese New Year as a UN floating holiday, as were Thanksgiving Day and Good Friday. To celebrate the first Chinese New Year floating holiday, international authorities like the UN Food and Agriculture Organization as well as the UN headquarters in Vienna officially decorated their facilities with Chinese red lanterns and other festoons.
One can find folklore activities related to the Spring Festival, including but not limited to dragon dance, temple fair, and fireworks, in almost all countries and regions around the world. What is more, nearly 20 countries around China, including Vietnam, the DPRK, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, as well as Canada and the United States in North America, and Mauritius in Africa, have listed the Spring Festival as official holidays in all or some certain cities in the related country and celebrated the Chinese New Year in various ways.
As such, from the East to the West, from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere, countries around the world are lit up with “Chinese Red,” sharing a joyful and festive atmosphere and experiencing the splendid and colorful Chinese culture.
The spiritual bond of overseas Chinese all over the world
The Chinese are the world’s largest group of overseas diaspora, with a total size of over 60 million as of 2023, living widely in 198 countries and regions around the world. With their tenacity and wisdom, the overseas Chinese have won appreciation globally, demonstrated the Chinese cultural essence represented by progress and charity, and made great contributions to the promotion of cultural exchanges between China and other countries.
For all Chinese people around the world, not only does the Spring Festival stand for a Chinese complex that transcends geographical boundaries, but it also embodies a spiritual bond that connects all the overseas Chinese around the world, an emotional attachment inherits traditional Chinese culture, and a cultural root that is linked by blood and shared destiny.
Apart from fostering a sense of cultural identity among overseas Chinese, the Spring Festival offers them a valuable occasion to convey their yearning for their hometown and loved ones. It also serves as a manifestation of their commitment to preserving and embracing their traditional heritage and sense of belonging.
The festival also serves as a means of showcasing the rich heritage and joyous traditions of Chinese culture to a global audience. The essence of the Chinese New Year has sparked a profound emotional resonance that transcends not only geographical boundaries but also cultural differences. It has played a transformative role in shaping the international cultural landscape, infusing it with captivating Oriental elements.
Tanzanian artists perform traditional Tanzanian dance during a Spring Festival gala in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, February 7, 2024. /Xinhua
A profile of China’s soft power
In the eyes of foreigners, the Chinese New Year is a festival full of joy, reunion, peace, and good wishes. Both abstract cultural symbols like family affection and homesickness and substantial cultural elements like spring festival couplets, festival feasts, and other folklore activities have all become bridges connecting different cultures, bestowing more people the opportunity to understand and appreciate Chinese culture, further promoting exchanges, dialogues, and integration between China and the rest of the world.
This kind of positive and indomitable Chinese spirit and the broad and profound Chinese culture, widely considered the key components of China’s soft power, are gradually conveying China’s strength to the world.
When reflecting on China’s long history, one can consistently observe a pattern of kind, friendly, honest, and civilized interactions with the world, despite the challenges and setbacks faced during its modern history. Nowadays, China is taking more active measures to engage with the international community across all aspects, driven by a genuine desire to build a shared future for mankind and contribute to global progress.
The Spring Festival belongs not only to China but also to the world. It carries a sense of joy, hope, and better wishes for people all over the world, presenting China in a credible, endearing, and respected light. The growing global popularity of the Spring Festival not only highlights the unique charm of its cultural heritage but also signifies the world’s increasing curiosity and desire to gain a deeper understanding of China.
Inheriting the traditional Chinese cultural concept of peace and harmony, the Spring Festival is now going around the world, which is a vivid embodiment of the exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Sharing the joy of the Spring Festival and inspired by the vitality of the Spring season, people all over the world will unite in their collective efforts to build a happier and brighter future.
Gao Lei, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Center for Xi Jinping Thoughts on Opening-up, Research Institute of Globalization and China’s Modernization, University of International Business and Economics. Gao Yuxiangis a post-graduate student at the School of Marxism, University of International Business & Economics..
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