Zimbabweans listened closely to Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), taking note of how the African country can take part in joint efforts to advance global modernization, said Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday.
Mnangagwa arrived in Beijing on Monday to attend the summit, which ran from Wednesday to Friday, and to pay a state visit to China. On Tuesday, he held talks with President Xi for discussions centered on bilateral relations.
During their talks, Xi highlighted the profound friendship between China and Zimbabwe, stressing that deepening the ironclad friendship aligns with the shared expectations of the peoples of nations. He proposed establishing a "five-star ironclad" cooperation framework underpinned by five key areas: politics, economy and trade, security, culture, and international coordination.
Mnangagwa said the conversation with the Chinese president as well as his speech at the FOCAC Summit provided key insights as Zimbabwe charts its course toward development and prosperity.
"For us, Zimbabwe, no doubt that we listened his speech very, very carefully. And last night, we have spent some time with my delegation, analyzing that how we as Zimbabwe can adopt some of the things to fit into our concrete situation, our concrete transformation journey, what can we get in order to enhance our original view to achieve our own vision. So, it is so broad that we believe that every single African country which is here will find a place, a niche in the global vision which he presented," he said.
Xi's speech paints grand vision for Africa's development: Zimbabwean President
Chinese cities, towns and villages are putting on dazzling light and lantern shows, staging distinctive folk customs performances, and holding festive mooncake banquets in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Tuesday.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar and dates back more than a millennium. As a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, families reunite on the occasion to admire the bright full moon, light lanterns, and share the holiday pastry of mooncakes.
In the ancient city of Kaifeng of central China's Henan Province and Jinzhou City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, popular tourist attractions and landmarks are bathed in lights, promising a mesmerizing nighttime experience for local residents and tourists alike.
Beijing's famous Beihai Park, a public park and former imperial garden, is staging performances themed around bianzhong, or Chinese chime bells which has a history of over 2,000 years.
In tourist towns and villages of Yunnan Province in the southwest, Zhejiang Province in th east and Guangdong Province in the south, lively folk and dragon dances are gathering numerous locals and tourists to join in the festivities.
Audiences are enjoying a poetry recitation show in Hefei City, east China's Anhui Province, and a symphony in Zunyi City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, respectively.
This year, Suining City in southwest China's Sichuan Province and Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the northwest, have both prepared giant freshly made mooncakes enough to treat hundreds of people at a same time. And in a village of the southwestern Chongqing Municipality, people have prepared their own mooncakes on a flour ground from their newly harvested red sorghum.
"We are filled with the joy of harvest during the merry traditional festival. The festive mood is really nice," said Liu Ya, a local of Jiangjun Village in Chongqing's Bishan District.
Elsewhere, villages in Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, are also celebrating their harvest of red pepper by drying them on the roofs. And another village in the eastern province of Shandong has recently held a large banquet for local households to share.
Outside the mainland, colorful lanterns are also dotting the various landmarks, streets and alleyways of Hong Kong and Macao, adding to the festive joy.
Celebrations held across China to mark traditional Mid-Autumn Festival
