China, Myanmar to hold first joint New Year gala

18 January 2019
China, Myanmar to hold first joint New Year gala
Dragon dancers march with people during Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival celebration at Chinatown in Yangon, Myanmar, 16 February 2018. Photo: Lynn Bo Bo/EPA

The first New Year gala co-organized by China and Myanmar will be held on Saturday in Rangoon, Myanmar, a move to enhance cultural exchanges between the two countries.

The 90-minute "China-Myanmar Brotherhood, Happy Gathering, 2019 China-Myanmar New Year Gala", which will only include dances and songs from some Chinese ethnic minorities, such as Jingpo and Va ethnic minority groups, Wang Ke, an organizer of the gala from Yunnan TV station in Southwest China's Yunnan Province told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Yunnan Province shares borders with some regions in Myanmar. For example, the Peacock dance is a traditional Chinese dance, and the animal peacock is a symbol of good fortune in Myanmar," according to Wang. 

He said that the event would host up to 1,000 audiences.  

Wang said the program is to make use of the advantages of Yunnan as a radiation center for South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, and to actively plan the transnational cultural exchange activities. 

"The similar events have been successfully co-hosted with some Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Laos and Cambodia since 2013, which produced positive influences in neighboring countries and Chinese communities," said Wang.

The organizations include China's State Council Information Office, the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar and Myanmar Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture. 

It will be broadcast on Yunnan TV and Myanmar National TV.

"Now we have started rehearsing and the progress goes very well," Wang said.

Courtesy Global Times