China: Spring Festival becomes an intangible cultural heritage of humanity

By Ye Fan

Beijing-based international affairs commentator

Museums across China have posted animated videos on Weibo showing cultural relics singing and dancing to celebrate the recent decision by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to list the Spring Festival as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The Spring Festival dates back centuries and is the most important festival in Chinese culture. It is a time when families gather to celebrate the arrival of the lunar New Year, and has become a symbol of unity and renewal. Traditions such as hanging spring poetry and giving red envelopes to children reflect the Chinese people’s simple hope for a better or more optimistic life.

For Chinese people around the world, these cultural practices bring back memories of childhood or ancestors. For others in the global village, they offer a glimpse into the magic of an ancient Eastern culture. The festival has inspired similar celebrations in many other Asian cultures, and is a product and expression of cultural exchange between peoples.

The inclusion of the Spring Festival as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity has important cultural significance in many ways. It not only celebrates the rich traditional Chinese culture, but also promotes understanding between people of different cultural backgrounds.

In the world's cultural mosaic, the Spring Festival provides an opportunity for people to understand each other and appreciate other cultures. As Chinese communities around the world celebrate the Spring Festival, the cultural diversity of the host countries increases. People begin to see the commonalities between Chinese culture and their own cultures. Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only through acceptance can peace and prosperity be achieved.

Supporting cultural equality

The inclusion of the Spring Festival on the World Heritage List is a vote for inclusiveness and mutual learning between cultures. It reminds us that cultures, despite their differences, can learn from each other and coexist as equals.

The Global Civilization Initiative calls for respecting the diversity of civilizations and promoting exchanges among them. This is all the more important at a time when some still promote the superiority of some civilizations or the clash of civilizations. Such claims ignore the unique value of each culture. The belief in superiority paves the way for cultural exclusion and, worse if not worse, confrontation.

Today, the world faces multiple threats such as climate change and pandemics that respect no borders and cannot be addressed by any country alone. China’s vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind emphasizes the need for mutual cooperation to address these global challenges. The inclusion of the Spring Festival on the list of cultural heritage highlights the essential role of harmony among different cultures in realizing this vision.

The bonds between people formed through the celebration of traditional festivals across different cultures provide moral support for a shared future. With values of family, hope and unity, China's Spring Festival shares many other traditional celebrations in the world and is truly a common heritage of humanity.

Today, Spring Festival events are held in nearly 200 countries and regions around the world. This helps us see that what unites us is greater than what divides us. In a time full of challenges and hopes, may the Spring Festival give us the strength to unite for a shared future for mankind.