Chinese New Year show in Bangkok's Chinatown. Courtesy of Wang Sicheng.
Street view of Bangkok's Chinatown on the evening of Chinese New Year. Courtesy of Wang Sicheng.
The Four Seas are in the same spring].
During the Chinese New Year, Bangkok, Thailand, is filled with a strong New Year atmosphere, with shopping malls and parks decorated with lights and festive celebrations. With the 2024 "Happy New Year" activities unfolding one after another, Bangkok is bustling with excitement in the New Year of the Dragon.
Princess Sirindhorn hand-painted Chinese New Year greeting card.
On February 10, the first day of the Lunar New Year, Bangkok's Chinatown was crowded with people, and everywhere was filled with the auspicious and peaceful atmosphere of celebrating the New Year and "Chinese and Thai family". Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand attended the event and presided over the opening ceremony of the 2024 Thailand "Happy New Year" event. Thai Prime Minister Saitha, Minister of Tourism and Sports Sudarwan, Minister of Culture Sensa, Mayor of Bangkok Chacha, and Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Han Zhiqiang attended the event to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
At the ceremony, Princess Sirindhorn presented a hand-drawn "Year of the Dragon" Chinese New Year greeting card to Saita, Han Zhiqiang and other Thai and Chinese guests, and enjoyed the wonderful performances of the artists of the two countries. Accompanied by the noisy gongs and drums of the dragon dance team, Princess Sirindhorn held the golden dragon ball to open the 2024 Thailand "Happy New Year" event. In his speech, Chacha said that the celebration of the Spring Festival is a beautiful cultural tradition inherited by the people of Thailand and China. Over the past 20 years, with the strong support of China, Sam Phan District of Bangkok City, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, and Chinese businesses on Yaowarat Road have participated in the preparation of the "Happy New Year" celebration, aiming to promote the friendship between Thailand and China and wish the people of the two countries good luck. This year, China specially selected outstanding Chinese art troupes to perform in Thailand, and the "Happy New Year" activity has a positive significance of promoting Thai Chinese exchanges, promoting tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
After the ceremony, Princess Sirindhorn was very interested in visiting the Spring Festival booths and specialty shops along Yaowarat Road Chinatown to celebrate the Year of the Dragon with the people.
Thai Prime Minister Sai Ta greetings the New Year in Chinese.
"Happy New Year" is a vivid embodiment of the family relationship between China and Thailand, and has become an important platform and link for the Chinese and Thai people to celebrate the festival together.
Happy New Year and all the best! "On Chinese New Year's Eve, Prime Minister Saita sent ** blessings and greeted the Chinese people in Chinese. On the occasion of the 2024 Chinese New Year, I would like to extend my best wishes to the Chinese and Chinese people in Thailand, wishing this year's financial resources and Thai-Chinese investment to be smooth and prosperous. The mutual visa exemption policy between the two sides has promoted more convenient exchanges between the two countries, and Thailand warmly welcomes and will take good care of Chinese friends who come to Thailand. I wish the friendship between Thailand and China will last forever and the Thai-Chinese family will be close.
On the same day, the Bangkok Cultural Center also ushered in the 2024 "Happy New Year" Chinese New Year greeting activity, and Han Zhiqiang and Su Dawan exchanged New Year gifts. Su Dawan said that the Spring Festival is a traditional festival celebrated by the people of Thailand and China, and it is a beautiful moment to feel the warm family relationship between Thailand and China. Thailand and China have cooperated to hold the "Happy New Year" celebration for 20 consecutive years, which has made important contributions to continuously tightening the people-to-people ties between China and Thailand, deepening the traditional friendship between the two peoples, and promoting people-to-people bonds. Thailand and China are about to enter the "visa-free era", and the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries will be more convenient than ever, and all-round exchanges and cooperation will be greatly promoted, which will vigorously promote the development of friendly relations between Thailand and China.
Subsequently, art delegations from China and Fujian jointly presented a festive, joyful and splendid cultural performance with Thai artists. **The distinctive fruit harmonic dance and bracelet dance are unrestrained and cheerful, the intangible cultural heritage pearl Gaojia opera in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, and the traditional big street are very lively, and the display of Muay Thai and Confucian opera is gorgeous and dazzling, and the wonderful performance will push the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival together between China and Thailand to a climax.
Chinatown has more tourists.
Throughout the month of February, the Bangkok Metropolitan Government**, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports held the 2024 Yaowarat (Chinatown) Chinese New Year event in Chinatown with the theme of "Dragon Opens the Sky, Prosperity and Happiness Last", attracting tourists from all over the world to enjoy the "Taste of the New Year". Bangkok's Chinatown is filled with red lanterns, and visitors can enjoy decorative lanterns, buy New Year's crafts such as paper cuts, and sample street food. The reporter noticed that many European and American tourists also wore red clothes to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and street vendors said that this year's Lunar New Year was more enthusiastic and more tourists than last year.
The Year of the Dragon lanterns in Chinatown are particularly eye-catching. In the evening, the dragon head lanterns are lit, and the colorful dragon balls slowly rotate to radiate brilliant light, reflecting the lights of the surrounding buildings. The main body of the lantern is a golden dragon leaping through, forming a winding corridor, symbolizing the prosperity of China and Thailand in the Year of the Dragon, and the people's life is prosperous. It is reported that the "Light Up Yaowarat" lantern exhibition will last until the 29th, setting off a festive and warm festive atmosphere for the Year of the Dragon in Bangkok.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, during the Lunar New Year 2024, the tourism market across Thailand will be hot, with a total of about 343 tourists to bring inTourism revenue of 900 million baht, an increase of 30% over the same period last year. On February 10 alone, more than 14 foreign tourists visited Thailand70,000 people. And during the Lunar New Year, Chinese tourists alone are expected to bring about 62Tourism revenue of 1.3 billion baht increased by about 366% over the same period last year.
Bangkok, February 15 -- Our correspondent in Bangkok, Wang Sicheng).