Daily Times

A gala was presented by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, organised by the Chinese Cultural Centre and Shaanxi Council for the Promotion of External Cultural Exchange to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

Chinese Cultural Counselor You Yi, Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) Director General Syed Jamal Shah and All Pakistan China Friendship Association President Atiya Qutab participated as chief guests.

You Yi during his speech said that the Mid-Autumn Festival is a day for family gathering and reunion. It is the second most important festival in China after Chinese New Year. Family members get together on this day to enjoy the full moon, which is an auspicious symbol of abundance, harmony and luck.

“While I stand here on this occasion to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, I would like to take this opportunity to speak about relations between Pakistan and China. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Pakistan, the friendship and mutual understanding between our two nations have increasingly deepened, the pragmatic cooperation in various fields including art and culture constantly expanded. The friendly cooperation between China and Pakistan is facing historical opportunities so let us march forward, hand in hand, to seize the opportunities to create a more beautiful future for our two countries,” he said.

Artists from Shaanxi Wenyi Art Troupe, Xi’an City Wall Art Troupe and Traditional Chinese Orchestra of Xi’an International University, as well as Pakistani artists from the National Performing Arts Group of PNCA staged beautiful performances including dance, singing and instrumental performances.

The Chinese nation is one of the world’s most ancient nations. They attach great importance to personal feelings, families and tradition.

In Chinese beliefs, the full moon is the symbol of family reunion. Many famous ancient poets wrote poems about the moon and expressed their homesickness. When people look at the moon, it reminds them of their families and their homeland. Chinese family members have dinner together in the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Eating moon cakes and making colourful lanterns are part of the activities of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. The lanterns have different shapes and can also resemble animals, plants, or flowers in different shapes to be hung in trees or houses, or floated on rivers. Homes and other buildings get decorated by colourful lanterns, which provide a beautiful view at night.

The China Cultural Centre and PNCA will jointly arrange a musical workshop of Chinese and Pakistani artists today (Thursday) at 10am at the China Cultural Centre in which musicians, dancers and artists from both countries will participate to discuss exchanges in the field of art and culture.

Published in Daily Times, September 27^th 2018.