On 13 February, an article by Chinese Ambassador Yang Xiaokun Titled “The Spring Festival as a New Intangible Cultural Heritage: a Testament of China’s Global Civilization Initiative” was published on The Post. Here’s the full text.
On 11 January 2025, a special gala was held in Avani Maseru by the Chinese community in Lesotho. The atmosphere was vibrant and lively. Spectacular performances dazzled the audience. Attendees were fully immersed in the festive vibe, exchanging warm greetings and sharing joy of the celebration. This was the beginning of the Spring Festival celebration in Lesotho. From the day on, the Chinese communities in Lesotho celebrated the Spring Festival through various activities together with local Basotho friends for a month, until 12 February, the Lantern Festival.
In China, the celebration lasted for half a month, from 29 January,the first day of the year in the Chinese lunar Calendar,to the Lantern Festival. It started at the dining table in every household and carried rich customs and rituals,such as pasting Spring Festival couplets, going to temple fairs, setting off fireworks, having reunion meals, and visiting relatives and friends.
As a signature part of Chinese culture, the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, is one of the most important festivals practiced in China and around the world. Spring Festival puts family at its core. For every Chinese, the essence of Spring Festival is about reunion, travelling great distances just to be with loved ones. That is why in the days leading up to the Chinese New Year, train stations and airports in China are packed with millions eager to reunite with their families,making the phenomenon the greatest human flow on Earth.
All of those jointly make up a newly recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. On 4 December 2024, the China-nominated “Spring festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional new year” was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Nowadays, about one-fifth of the world’s population celebrates the Spring Festival in various forms, and nearly 20 countries have made the Spring Festival as a public holiday, reflecting the global influence of Chinese culture. Folk customs and activities associated with the Spring Festival have spread to nearly 200 countries and regions, becoming a global cultural event.
The Spring Festival, being recognized as a new Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, now serves as an unique cultural icon,flourishing in the garden of world civilizations. A single flower does not make a spring, while one hundred flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden. Promoting cultural diversity and people-to-people exchanges is exactly what the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping advocates.
In his keynote speech at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting in 2023, where he proposed the GCI for the first time, President Xi emphasized that countries need to uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, and let cultural exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and inclusiveness transcend any sense of superiority. He called for jointly advocating robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, saying countries need to explore the building of a global network for inter-civilization dialogue and cooperation, enrich the content of exchanges and expand avenues of cooperation to promote mutual understanding and friendship among people of all countries, and jointly advance the progress of human civilizations.
As a Chinese saying goes, “Without achieving the good of one hundred various schools, the uniqueness of one individual cannot be achieved.” A core value of the GCI is that no civilization in the world is superior to others; every civilization is special and unique to its own region. Civilizations can achieve harmony only through communication, and can make progress only through harmonization. Since ancient times, people of all countries have created unique and colorful cultures through their hard work. We should draw wisdom and nourishment from various civilizations and provide spiritual support and psychological consolation for the people,so as to overcome the challenges facing mankind by joint efforts.
As the world is facing old and new challenges today, there are more reasons for us to promote dialogue and consultation when addressing international issues. After the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI),the GCI,as another important public good China has shared with the world in the new era,has injected strong impetus into advancing humanity’s modernization process and building a community with a shared future for mankind. Therefore,it has been warmly welcomed and widely received by the international community, setting a new paradigm for international relations.
China and Lesotho, for example, have agreed to take the lead in implementing the GCI by enhancing civilizational exchanges and amity between their peoples.
Overseas Chinese in Lesotho from all walks of life have deeply integrated into the local society,getting along well with the Basotho people, dealing with difficulties and challenges together. Engineers and workers of Chinese construction companies have brought to Lesotho advanced technologies and rich experiences,building roads and bridges in the mountains, greatly improving the transportation, promoting local economic development, and bringing convenience to people’s lives. The Chinese medical team has shouldered the sacred mission of saving lives and treating the injured for many years,providing high-quality medical services to the people of Lesotho. The teachers of the Confucius Classroom, with their enthusiasm and professional skills, have sparked a strong interest in Chinese language and culture among the people of Lesotho, especially the younger generation.
In the year 2024, China has provided more than 300 government scholarships and training opportunities for Lesotho. More than ten Basotho youths attended various training courses in China have successfully started their own businesses back home, attracting widespread attention and praise in Lesotho. The first Confucius Institute,the Confucius Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology in the National University of Lesotho has been officially launched, bringing China’s agricultural techniques and experiences to Lesotho. Wherever I go, I am pleased to see local Bosotho friends gaining tangible benefits from such friendly exchanges.
In 2025,we slither into the Year of the Snake. The snake is the sixth figure in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, representing longevity,wisdom, intuition and strategic growth. While celebrating the Chinese New Year as a new World Cultural Heritage and entering the New Year of the Snake, the Embassy will continue to implement the ideas of the GCI with concrete actions, playing the role of a bridge and link, promoting deeper exchanges and cooperation among all sectors of the two countries to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.
The gala has ended, while the people-to-people exchanges between China and Lesotho will never end. The celebration of the Chinese New Year has ended, while the spirits of the GCI will bring us endless inspirations, and the friendship between the two peoples and two countries will grow vigorously in the years to come!
Happy Chinese New Year!