UNESCO heritage recognition boosts Chinese New Year's global profile

Two months ahead of the coming Chinese Year of the Snake, the east Chinese city of Yiwu -- often referred to as "the world's supermarket" -- is flooded with an abundant array of festival commodities in bright shades of red.

In the Yiwu International Trade Market, store owner Chen Meiyun told Xinhua that red couplets and posters with auspicious words, as well as craft gifts related to the Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival, are currently the most popular products in the store.

"Foreign orders are generally placed as early as June and July. The delivery time for the festival commodities is November and December, which are our busiest months," said Chen.

She said that all exporters of the festival commodities in Yiwu were encouraged by the Chinese New Year's successful inclusion on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) list of intangible cultural heritage.

The Year of the Snake will start on Jan. 29, 2025, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. The Chinese zodiac consists of 12 animals including the ox, tiger and rabbit, which record the years and reflect people's attributes.

Chen believes the exporters will benefit from the Spring Festival's world-heritage recognition, as it will further boost the growing international awareness of the Chinese culture.

"Rituals, customs and auspicious prayers surrounding the Chinese New Year all convey positive energy, which earns it a growing global influence," Chen said.

Huo Qingshun, 74, has been drafting a new picture design for the Year of the Snake, to be used in woodblock printing. The inheritor of the centuries-old craft, known as Yangliuqing woodblock printing, said he was thrilled by the recognition of the festival's importance.

Yangliuqing woodblock images, which flourish in north China's Tianjin Municipality, are one of the most popular forms of New Year decorations in China.

Huo said that many foreign visitors to his workshop have taken an interest in the craft, enjoying the pictures of traditional Chinese folklore in the paintings. With the aid of some translation, they can appreciate the Chinese virtues of filial piety, harmony, benevolence and other good wishes that are conveyed in the images.

The Chinese Lunar New Year involves a variety of social practices to usher in the new year, pray for good fortune, celebrate family reunions and promote community harmony.

CULTURAL INCLUSION

According to UNESCO's documentation, the traditional knowledge and customs associated with the Spring Festival are passed down informally within families and communities, as well as formally through the education system. Craftsmanship and artistic skills related to the festival are transmitted through apprenticeships, promoting family values, social cohesion and peace, while providing a sense of cultural identity.

Wayne Ngonidzashe Musiyiwa, a Zimbabwean student at the Hunan Institute of Engineering in central China's Hunan Province, said he has spent every Spring Festival for the past five years in China. What impressed him most is the emphasis the Chinese people place on family reunions during the festival, a practice that brings warmth to people's hearts.

"Spending the festival together with my Chinese classmates and teachers, I learned that the festival is the most important traditional festival for Chinese people. I think it is a window to learn about Chinese culture," he said, adding that his interest in China started with watching Spring Festival performances on social media in Zimbabwe.

Southwest China's Guizhou, where Musiyiwa studied the Chinese language for three years, is known for its ethnic diversity. Preserving their own ethnic customs, many ethnic groups celebrate the Spring Festival in their own ways.

Lan Qifeng is an inheritor of the Miao batik craft from Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou. During the Spring Festival, said Lan, the locals wear traditional Miao costumes as they take part in performances of singing and dancing. The music is played on a woodwind instrument called a "lusheng" and the rhythm is kept with copper drums, while people sit at long tables to enjoy the festival banquets.

WORLDWIDE INFLUENCE

The UN General Assembly, in a resolution passed in December 2023, officially listed the Spring Festival as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings, starting from 2024, acknowledging the significance of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Luo Pengwei of the China Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday that the Spring Festival has become a global phenomenon. Wherever there are Chinese people, there are Spring Festival celebrations, acting as a cultural bond and symbol of the Chinese people around the world, and reflecting the inheritance of Chinese culture.

"In foreign countries, the first thing they know about China is the Spring Festival. Some countries and regions have designated the Spring Festival as a local public holiday, which reflects the profound cultural charisma of the Chinese culture," said Luo.

Chen Yifang, president of Hua Xing Arts Group Rome, has been involved in preparations for the "2025 Spring Festival Fair Rome" celebrations.

The Italian capital hosts grand Spring Festival parades every year. Chen said that with the Chinese festival's UNESCO heritage status, the scale of the event in the Year of the Snake will be even bigger than before, attracting more international participants.

She said the fair will last from Feb. 7 to 9, 2025, with a wide variety of cultural performance showcasing the diversity of Chinese culture.

Last year, Chen organized a Hanfu (Chinese traditional robes) parade, which turned out to be a highlight of the Chinese New Year celebration in Rome, with around 100 participants. She said that volunteers are being recruited for the upcoming event.

Spring Festival is celebrated in various ways by about one-fifth of humanity, according to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.

"We very much hope that the festival's cultural message will contribute to a world of fewer conflicts, harmony among civilizations, and amity among peoples of the world. Hope the Spring Festival will be a moment of joyfulness shared by all," Lin said.