SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian tourism city of Sharm el-Sheikh embraced a large festivity where hundreds of rejoiced Egyptians and Chinese celebrated the Chinese Spring Festival together.
The three-day event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Egypt is held in the Hollywood fun park in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh, celebrating the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year.
The activities of the festival kicked off Wednesday and will run through Friday.
The park was fully decorated with red Chinese lanterns and colorful Chinese paintings, welcoming guests who were warmly received by Egyptian and Chinese officials.
"I congratulate the Chinese people on this occasion and wish them a prosperous year," Governor of South Sinai Khaled Fouda said during the celebration.
Fouda invited Chinese tourists to visit Egypt and especially Sharm al-Sheikh city, saying the resort city is one of the most attractive places worldwide.
For his part, member of the Egyptian parliament Mahmoud al-Masoud said he is so delighted that the Spring Festival celebrations are held in the city for the second consecutive year.
"China and Egypt are among the most ancient civilizations and there are many similarities between the two nations," he told Xinhua.
Shi Yuewen, cultural counselor of the Chinese embassy in Cairo, said many Chinese know Sharm al-Sheikh now after the embassy started to mark the Spring Festival here.
"Many Chinese artists came from China to perform here on this occasion so the Egyptians can get some knowledge about the Chinese music, dance and art," he said.
The counselor added that the shows were highly applauded by the audience and the foreign tourists who came to enjoy the festival.
During the event, Chinese bands performed a variety of Chinese shows, featuring Chinese traditional music and dance of China's Shanxi Province
A Chinese singer also sang a famous Egyptian national song that amused the Egyptians who attended the party.
On the alleyway leading to the festival, a number of Chinese artists showcased their hand-made embroidery, paints and accessories in attempt to make the Egyptians more knowledgeable about the forms of Chinese art.
A number of Egyptians have also displayed their handmade products of traditional arts such clothes, wood and glass works so that the Chinese can also be familiar with Egypt's traditional artworks.
Wu Junmin, 53-year-old embroidery artist and the founder of the Tangren Embroidery Company in Taiyuan city, said it is her first time in Egypt, expressing happiness to bring such unique Chinese art here which is welcomed by the Egyptian people.
"I heard that many Egyptians are interested in Chinese traditional culture, so I hope one day I could come back again and get more chances to introduce Chinese Shanxi embroidery," she said.
Li Hongxing, Deputy Director of Taiyuan Cultural Bureau, said "as a performance team representing Shanxi Province, most of our shows (about 10 shows) are national and provincial intangible cultural heritage such as paper-cut, acrobatic and local dance."
"We hope that through this three-day event, the Egyptian people know more about Chinese traditional culture, especially to notice that we have various and abundant cultural heritage in different provinces in China," Li added.
For Egyptians, celebrating Chinese Spring Festival in the Red Sea city can give a push and promote the tourism sector in Egypt's most notable tourist attraction.
"This festival is really beautiful because it brings us closer to China and also promotes tourism here," Mahmoud Ali, a salesman in Sharm al-Sheikh, told Xinhua.
