**: People's **Overseas Edition.
Actors from different countries dressed in national costumes performed the dance "Love Each Other with Their Beauty". Photo by Xu Ziming.
The second voice sang the song "It's a Mother and a Daughter". Photo by Xu Ziming.
Folk heritage dance "Southern Lion Dream". Photo by Xu Ziming.
At the scene of the Spring Festival Gala at the Dubai Opera, the audience is waiting for the ** performance. Photo by Tariq Ibrahim.
A few days ago, the "Sea of Stars" 2024 10th UAE Overseas Chinese Spring Festival Gala (hereinafter referred to as the "Spring Festival Gala") was staged at the Dubai Opera House in the United Arab Emirates. More than 1,200 cast and crew from 75 countries participated in the Spring Festival Gala. On the same day, more than 2,000 overseas Chinese and friendly people from all over the world gathered together to welcome the Spring Festival. Several overseas Chinese who participated in the Spring Festival Gala said that the Spring Festival Gala not only comforted the nostalgia of overseas Chinese in Afghanistan, but also built a bridge between the Chinese and Arab people.
The show was wonderful.
Chorus, poetry recitation, ballet, cheongsam catwalk, musical instrument ensemble, micro-** drama, folk song, street dance, rap ......The 28 programs of the Spring Festival Gala are wonderful and dizzying.
The Spring Festival Gala kicked off with the magnificent chorus "Defending the Yellow River". "More than 200 people participated in the chorus, and I was among them. Zhang Xuming, president of the Jiangsu Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Association of the United Arab Emirates, said, "This is the result of everyone's rehearsals every weekend for 4 months, and the performance effect is very good, and the venue of the Spring Festival Gala is heated up all of a sudden." "At the scene, many overseas Chinese were deeply infected. Wang Huimin, president of the Jilin Provincial Chamber of Commerce in the United Arab Emirates, said: "They are not just singing a song, but also expressing their deep feelings for the motherland. ”
Children, don't be greedy, it's ...... year after LabaWith the sound of **, 80 children from the Chinese School in Dubai wore Hanfu, held the dragon lantern of intangible cultural heritage products, sang familiar New Year's nursery rhymes, and walked forward from the corridors of the audience on both sides.
The children's poetry recitation "Four Seasons Poetry Rhyme" has a long charm, the folk heritage dance "Southern Lion Dream" is smart and elegant, the micro-drama "The Great Doctor of the Common People" is thick and far-reaching, and the dance "The Lady Waving a Fan" ......has both form and spiritThe beating rhythm, melodious melody, and gorgeous light and shadow presented a Chinese cultural feast for the audience.
In addition to the performances of overseas Chinese in Afghanistan, the Spring Festival Gala also attracted international friends from 75 countries including the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Russia, Syria, France, and the United Kingdom.
It's so good to sing" and "the pronunciation is standard" ......Just after the performance of the Chinese solo "Don't Forget the Original Heart", Emirati opera singer Fatima Hashmi walked backstage, and everyone gathered around to praise. Fatima Hashmi's singing was a round and round voice, and she won a full house. When she sang 'Thousands of rivers and mountains do not forget the way they came', the scene erupted in thunderous applause. Zhang Jianzhong, executive chairman of the UAE Association for the Promotion of China's Peaceful Reunification, said.
Behind the full house is Fatima Hashmi's love for Chinese culture. In the month since she learned that she could participate in the Spring Festival Gala, she has been reading pinyin and memorizing lyrics and practicing pronunciation every day. Hashmi said that ** has a power that transcends language and culture, and can more effectively promote cultural exchanges and promote people-to-people bonds. "I'm looking forward to going to China to sing Chinese songs in the near future. ”
Originally from Los Angeles, Thomas lived and worked in China for several months. Passionate about Chinese culture, he participates in Tai Chi teaching activities organized by the Dubai Chinese Wushu Troupe almost every week. In this Spring Festival Gala, he participated in the Tai Chi martial arts performance of "Yin and Yang, Qiankun". Thomas said that through this Spring Festival Gala, Chinese friends can feel the world's love for Chinese culture.
The show "Prayer for World Peace", performed by actors from 16 countries, was very moving. They wore their own national costumes and wrote "World Peace, Harmony and Friendship" in their own national script. "Each Beauty, Blind Date and Love" is the finale of the party, showing the distinctive ethnic customs of the countries jointly building the "Belt and Road" in the form of folk dances and national costumes. Finally, when the melody of "Blind Date and Love" sounded, 250 actors from 75 countries danced together on stage, bringing the evening to a climax.
Li Dongxia, the chief planner and chief director of the Spring Festival Gala, has directed and planned 10 consecutive sessions of the Spring Festival Gala for overseas Chinese in the United Arab Emirates. She said that the theme of this year's party is the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese lunar calendar and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Arab States, including highlights such as inheriting 5,000 years of excellent traditional Chinese culture and cultural exchanges between China and the countries that jointly build the "Belt and Road".
Gather the hearts and minds of overseas Chinese.
In recent years, the Spring Festival Gala has become an event eagerly awaited by overseas Chinese and many local friends in the United Arab Emirates. The enthusiasm for participation was very high. The age range of the participants in this Spring Festival Gala ranges from 5 to 68 years old. Li Dongxia said, "Every June, the overall planning of the Spring Festival Gala comes out. Many overseas Chinese or local friends have come to me to report programs. I will select programmes with distinctive features, focusing on promoting Chinese culture and promoting China-Arab friendship. ”
The months of rehearsals were hard and there were many practical difficulties to overcome. "But everyone was so happy that there were people who wanted to join at the last minute. Li Dongxia said, "Some actors have three generations of their families to participate, and some families come from Abu Dhabi, more than 100 kilometers away, to rehearse every weekend, and drive back and forth for more than three hours." Many young parents hope that their children will learn and experience Chinese culture in the process, and deepen their relationship with their ancestral (home) country. ”
This year, I brought my wife and two daughters with me. Han Huandong, secretary general of the Jiangsu Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Association in the United Arab Emirates, said, "Every weekend, my daughter is looking forward to participating in the chorus rehearsal. On the eve of the performance, Han Huandong's daughter accidentally broke her arm and was put in a plaster cast and steel nails. Hearing that she might not be able to go on stage, her daughter immediately cried. "Later, I insisted on performing on stage, which was quite good. Han Huandong said with relief.
Shi Jiaoyang, secretary general of the UAE Cheongsam Association, has participated in the Spring Festival Gala of overseas Chinese in the UAE for many years. She said, "The motherland is more prosperous and stronger, and we hope to tell the story of the new look of the Chinese era to overseas friends through our own efforts." ”
Almost all the funds and field staff of the entire Spring Festival Gala come from overseas Chinese in Afghanistan, which is completely public welfare. Li Dongxia introduced, "The Spring Festival Gala is mainly sponsored and prepared by overseas Chinese in Afghanistan. Everyone was generous and generous. ”
It is the love for the motherland that unites us, making the Spring Festival Gala bigger and bigger, and its influence increasing year by year. Han Huandong said.
Wang Huimin is also one of the sponsors. He said that whether it was providing free venues, food, and utensils for rehearsals, or shuttling between the stage and behind the scenes of daily rehearsals, everyone was selfless and happy. The little things that are ordinary reflect a deep patriotic heart and are touching. "The Spring Festival Gala has brought together the hearts of overseas Chinese in Afghanistan."
What is commendable is persistence. We have to go to the next level and continue to make the Spring Festival Gala more professional and exciting. Zhang Xuming said.
Promote exchanges between China and foreign countries.
Zhang Yiming, Chinese Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, said that after years of continuous development and growth, the Spring Festival Gala of overseas Chinese in the UAE has not only become an audio-visual feast that 300,000 overseas Chinese in the UAE are looking forward to, but also a big stage for overseas Chinese sons and daughters to promote traditional Chinese culture, strengthen mutual learning between civilizations of various countries, and enhance world friendship. The year 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Arab States. This Spring Festival Gala kicked off a series of activities for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Every major festival such as the Spring Festival, National Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, etc., the overseas Chinese community in the UAE will carry out a series of grand cultural activities to promote people-to-people exchanges between China and the UAE. Spring Festival temple fair, Lantern Festival party, National Day performance, cheongsam catwalk, calligraphy and painting experience, on-site writing brush words to send "Fu" ......A variety of cultural activities have not only become a bond for the Chinese diaspora in Afghanistan, but also deeply loved by the local people.
Li Dongxia often holds various Chinese cultural promotion activities in Dubai. "In January 2017, we held a Chinese culture pop-up event in Dubai's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Overseas Chinese from 38 countries around the world came to participate. 600 women dressed in cheongsams formed the form of the Great Wall pattern, among which 60 overseas Chinese each held an erhu to pay tribute to their ancestral (home) country, and many people cried with joy. The foreigners who participated in the harmony couldn't help but be in awe of the Chinese culture. ”
In the process of integrating more and more overseas Chinese and Chinese living in Afghanistan into the country where they live, the hearts of the Chinese and Arab people are getting closer and closer.
Having lived in Dubai for 30 years, I am very proud to see more and more foreign friends learning about Chinese culture. Primary and secondary schools in the UAE have introduced Chinese classes, and police and bank staff can also communicate with us in Chinese. Dubai has a strong Chinese cultural atmosphere, and living here can feel the respect and friendliness of the locals. Zhang Xuming said frankly that overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese have the responsibility to carry forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture.
Every time the UAE National Day, Eid al-Fitr and other major local festivals, UAE friends will also warmly invite us to participate. "Sometimes, our Emirati friends also invite us to our home, and we are very kind and homely." The plain and cordial daily communication has shortened the distance between hearts and minds. ”
We are often invited to participate in traditional events such as camel racing, horse racing, etc. At the end of last year, football fans from the diaspora community and the UAE Police also held a football league. Zhang Xuming said that he looks forward to more cultural exchange activities between the two sides, "such as organizing more Sino-Arab art exhibitions, first-class meetings, and the introduction of films and television programs." ”
I look forward to everyone working together to hold the Spring Festival Gala, which is a mission and responsibility. "In the future, I hope to attract more enthusiastic people, especially young people, to join the team of spreading Chinese culture overseas in the UAE." (Jia Pingfan, Zhao Jingshu).
People** Overseas Edition (2024-02-07 Edition 06).