Performers dance The Beauty With Half Makeup. [Photo/Culturalink.gov.cn]

Chinese New Year celebrations in South Korea kicked off on Jun 17 in Seoul with a variety show. The event, themed Culture of China, Festival of Spring, featured Chinese ethnic charms such as dance, Peking opera, acrobatics, cross talk, magic performance and singing.

Highlights of the three-hour show were the nostalgic song, Love for Hometown, Mother, skillful acrobatics and dances of Chinese ethnic groups. All aimed to promote a better understanding of Chinese Spring Festival culture among Korean citizens.

The next two weeks will be followed by various activities celebrating Chinese New Year, including the exhibition of intangible cultural heritages from Hubei province, the lantern dance from Fenghuang of Hubei province, a Chinese craft show and concerts from China and Korea.

Since 2009, a series of activities celebrating the New Year has been held by the State Council Overseas Chinese Affairs Office. This year, nine Chinese art groups performed around the world to share this Chinese cultural feast with more overseas Chinese.

Zhang Jianmin, the deputy director of the Secretariat and Administrative Department of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, spoke before the performance. He noted that overseas Chinese function as a bridge, bringing China and other countries together. The State Council has always been and will continue to be concerned about their lives and development in other countries.

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong, the president of the Korean Overseas Chinese Association, Han Shenghao, and 2,000 locals and overseas Chinese in Korea also enjoyed the show.