In order to deepen the friendship between the peoples of China and the Philippines and promote exchanges, the Philippines has held the Philippine-Chinese Traditional Culture Festival every year since 2001 during the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival, allowing more Filipino citizens and Chinese immigrants in the Philippines to share the joy brought by the Lantern Festival. This year, the 16th 'Philippine-Chinese Traditional Culture Festival' opened on the evening of the 22nd at Rizal Park in Manila, attracting many people to experience Chinese traditional culture and celebrate the Lantern Festival together.
This cultural festival is jointly organized by the Manila City Government, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, and the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Former Philippine President and current Mayor of Manila, Joseph Estrada, stated in his speech at the opening ceremony that over the past 16 years, the 'Philippine-Chinese Traditional Culture Festival' has become an annual event showcasing the cultures of both countries, and that bringing the youth of the Philippines and China together as friendly ambassadors is a good way to enhance understanding and build friendships.
On that evening, the Confucius Institute of Ateneo de Manila University set up a Chinese cultural exhibition area for the first time in the Chinese Garden at Rizal Park, which was bustling with activity. Nearly a thousand Filipino citizens flocked to participate in interactive games such as shuttlecock kicking, riddle guessing, and paper cutting, as well as to taste traditional foods like glutinous rice balls and dumplings. Seeing Chinese culture so well received in the Philippines, Ms. Liang Guanghan, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute, who was busy on-site, expressed her "deep pride". She hopes to continue to work hard in the coming year to make this event, which conveys the friendship between China and the Philippines, even better.
The Chinese art troupe from Shenzhen, which came to the Philippines to perform the 'Happy Spring Festival', also made its debut that evening, performing in collaboration with the Manila City University Dance Troupe at the Rizal Park Theater, receiving a warm welcome from the audience.