‘Happy Chinese New Year –Chinese Temple Fair in Helsinki’ was held in Helsinki, Finland

On Feb 4 local time, the event of ‘Happy Chinese New Year – Chinese Temple Fair in Helsinki’ was held in Helsinki, the capital of Finland.

Caption: ‘Happy Chinese New Year – Chinese Temple Fair in Helsinki’

On the afternoon of Feb 4, the square of new Central Library in Helsinki was very crowded. At 4 pm., the start of the dragon dance and lion dance raised the atmosphere.

The performance of the Chinese artists made the atmosphere reach a climax. Performers from the Central Conservatory of Music presented the show, A Happy Night, with Chinese instruments sheng, erhu, liuqin, pipa, and Chinese zither, which has deeply impressed the audience. The dance show, The Emperor of Qin Inspecting Troops, presented by performers from Beijing Dancing Academy won warm applause from the audience.

Caption: The square of new Central Library was very crowded.

Apart from wonderful performances, the exhibition of Chinese intangible cultural heritages such as sugar paintings and painted sculpture of Beijing Opera facial makeup also attracted lots of citizens.

Jan Vapaavuori, Mayor of Helsinki, said that the Chinese New Year celebration event had become a major event for Helsinki in winter. Pang Wei, Deputy Director of Beijing’s Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, described the event as an exchange of heart and feelings, and he believed that the future events would become increasingly brilliant.

Caption: The Chinese New Year Firework show

On Feb 3 local time, Beijing Capital Library started ‘Read Beijing’ program at Helsinki City Library. The two libraries signed the cooperation agreement. During the signing ceremony, a library robot carrying books from China could be seen at Helsinki Library, which raised many citizens’ interest.

Caption: Beijing Capital Library donated books to Helsinki City Library