Published on 24/06/2025
The Spring Festival, as the most important traditional festival in China, has a long history and has undergone a long development process from the ancient Xia calendar to the Lunar New Year and then to being recognized as a world intangible cultural heritage.
In 2024, the Chinese Spring Festival was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
The host Bola is from Gabon. This is her fifteenth year living in Beijing. During the Spring Festival of 2025, Bola followed the camera into the streets and alleys of Beijing to experience how people in Beijing celebrated the Spring Festival.
To celebrate this most important Chinese festival, the China National Arts and Crafts Museum in Beijing has specially opened an art exhibition hall themed on the traditional Spring Festival, which has attracted a large number of people in Beijing to visit. As a foreigner, the show host Bola has experienced many traditional folk skills.
Behind her was a lantern in the shape of a “dragon”. Its craftsmanship was intricate, and it was both exquisite and large. As an African, Bola truly felt the Chinese people’s love for dragons. It’s no wonder they are called “descendants of the dragon”.
The Host Bola found that we Africans and Chinese have something in common when we celebrate festivals with musical instruments. Africans like to use African drums to express our love for life, while Beijing people like to use Taiping drums to express their expectations for the New Year.
As an important folk activity during the Spring Festival, “going to the New Year’s Market” is something that many Chinese families must do before the New Year. At the market during the Spring Festival, there are all kinds of fresh vegetables, fruits and meats. These are all essential New Year goods for Chinese families to entertain family members and friends during the Spring Festival.
The Spring Festival is far more than just a festival. It is a cultural heritage that has flowed for thousands of years. Beijing, as the capital of China, we have felt the most intense and warmest love for life. The Spring Festival is a common celebration of “home” and “hope” for all mankind!
