Chinese lanterns light up streets of Dinant in southern Belgium
Two exhibitions dedicated to China – one of giant luminous lanterns and another of Chinese masks named Happy Heads – opened in Dinant, a small tourist town in southern Belgium.
The two exhibitions aimed to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which fell on February 16 this year, and mark the 2018 China-EU Tourism Year, during which major events are being held from March 9 to April 2.
“The all-round partnership of friendship and cooperation between China and Belgium is developing rapidly and cultural communication is one of the most important parts,” said Zhang Chi, charge d’affaires of the Chinese embassy in Belgium at the opening ceremony on Friday.
“EU-China Light Bridge activities will further promote Sino-Belgian relations and introduce Chinese New Year culture to the world,” he added.
Dinant Mayor Richard Fournaux told the Xinhua News Agency that he hoped to strengthen ties between China and Dinant and attract more Chinese tourists.
“Last year, we brought Chinese New Year celebrations to Dinant. This year, the European Commission has proposed that Dinant participate in EU-China Light Bridge activities, to build a bridge of light with China,” he noted.
“We will do our best to ensure our cooperation is not temporary and we decided to completely renew the tourist facilities in Dinant to attract Chinese tourists and to show the hospitality of Dinant as a host city for Chinese tourists,” he said,
During the exhibition period, giant luminous lanterns light up various places in Dinant, such as the Croisette, the train station and St Nicholas Square.
Meanwhile, a series of unpublished and amazing photo portraits by Belgian-Chinese artist duo Benoit + Bo concerning the ancient tradition of Chinese masks were unveiled on Friday in the salons of the Hotel de Ville in Dinant.
The two exhibitions are part of a series of events celebrating the Chinese Lantern Festival, which is the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar and marks the end of the Chinese New Year.