At the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, a special pavilion has been set up in Paris to offer visitors a fascinating glimpse into China's long history and rich culture as well as its sports exchanges with France amid many fun interactive activities.
Inaugurated on July 24, the China House is a special pavilion built at the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild in Paris, which is open until August 10.
The launch of the house has been a routine effort by the Chinese Olympic Committee since the first "China hut" was set up during the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The pavilion is an incredible blend of East and West with classic French architecture meeting with Chinese sculptures and paintings.
It also showcases China-France exchanges in the field of sports with photos and other exhibits
"In 2021, Chinese Olympic diving champion Zhang Jiaqi and French football star Kylian Mbappe jointly attended the naming ceremony of two giant panda cubs in France. They were named as Huan Lili and Yuan Dudu. The letter 'Li' is named after Chinese translation for 'Paris'," said Xu Yiran, a tour guide for the China House.
Breakdancing is a new medal event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Last year, the Chinese national breaking team was invited to Paris to participate in various promotion and exchange activities for the sport, according to Xu.
She noted French coaches' contributions to the development of sports events such as fencing in China as well as the rising popularity of Chinese martial arts in France.
"Chinese martial arts have now become very popular in France. The two countries have also held many sports events for enhancing bilateral exchanges in the areas of women's football, basketball and table tennis," Xu also said.
At the China House, visitors also get the chance to experience earlier forms of modern sports such as Chuiwan, an ancient Chinese ball-striking game similar to golf, and pitch-pot, a traditional Chinese game that requires players to throw arrows or sticks from a set distance into a receptacle, which is like a prototype of archery.
"China has a strong sporting tradition, which I admire very much," said Bernard Mariette, a French visitor.
"I was able to try Chinese golf and it is also very interesting to throw arrows [into a pot]. We have seen many demonstrations of the cooperation [between France and China] in sports, which has existed for about 60 years," said another French visitor named Mabel Gbedje.
Special pavilion showcases China's rich culture, sports exchanges with France
A global wave of festive celebrations is unfolding as the Chinese Lunar New Year approaches, with the 2025 Spring Festival Gala promotional video by China Media Group (CMG) serving as a cultural bridge, connecting people from diverse backgrounds to the richness of Chinese traditions.
The Spring Festival falls on Jan 29 this year, ushering in the Year of the Snake, according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
At the new compound of the Mission of China to the AU in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, a gala was held on Monday to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival.
Featured Chinese foods and traditional performances from both China and Africa, among others, the event has brought together over 300 participants including the representatives of the AU and the Chinese community in Addis Ababa.
Monique Nsanzabaganwa, deputy chairperson for the African Union Commission, said AU-China cooperation has achieved gratifying and fruitful results during the previous years, noting China's 35-year-long tradition of dispatching its foreign minister to Africa on their first overseas trips at the start of a year.
The AU is willing to work with China to make greater contribution to the development and prosperity of the Global South, she said.
"I wish Africa-China relations will achieve greater progress in 2025 and building an all weather Africa-China community with a shared future for the new era will yield fruitful results," Nsanzabaganwa said.
The promotional video for the 2025 Spring Festival Gala was also aired at the event, marking a step forward in cultural exchange while igniting interest in Chinese traditions among attendees.
Meanwhile, cinemas in landmark locations across Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban in South Africa conducted a synchronized screening of the promotional video for the Spring Festival Gala, marking a first for the collaborative initiative.
A South Korean expatriate residing in South Africa expressed that seeing the promotional video of the gala, which represents elements of the Chinese Lunar New Year, in South African cinemas evoked a warm sense of longing for family reunions within her.
"As a foreigner, I was very impressed by the Chinese Spring Festival Gala last year, I was so happy to see the beautiful performances in South Africa's shopping mall at Nu Metro (Cinema). I'm very looking forward to see the live performance with my husband and baby at this Chinese New Year," she said.
In addition, the Chinese Embassy in Zambia on Sunday held the 2025 Zambia-Chinese Spring Festival Temple Fair with a display of Chinese culture in celebration of the upcoming Spring Festival.
Featuring various Chinese cultures, including a kung fu performance, the celebration attracted scores of both Chinese people and local people, officials from the Chinese embassy and the Zambian government, and representatives of Chinese enterprises operating in Zambia.
Chinese food was also on display, while Chinese companies took advantage of the ceremony to showcase their products and services.
During the event, the promotional video for the gala made a stunning appearance, becoming the focal point of the gathering.
In December last year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization inscribed "Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Promotional video for CMG Spring Festival Gala screened in various countries