Paris lit up with festive spirit as UNESCO hosted a grand Spring Festival temple fair, courtesy of China’s mission. Over 500 attendees, from UNESCO executives to envoys worldwide, gathered to usher in the Chinese New Year. Director-General Khalid Al-Anani stole the show by delivering New Year greetings in Chinese, signaling strong bilateral bonds.
In his address, Al-Anani linked the horse year’s attributes—boldness and advancement—to navigating current geopolitical turbulence. He affirmed UNESCO’s readiness to leverage this momentum for intensified partnership with China. The applause that followed his Mandarin ‘Happy Chinese New Year’ echoed the event’s warmth.
Echoing these sentiments, General Assembly Chair Khondker M. Talha portrayed the festival as an emblem of unity and cultural exchange. He urged stakeholders to draw from the horse’s energy to bolster UNESCO’s evolution, amplify collaborations, and advance shoulder-to-shoulder in multilateral cultural initiatives.
Yang XinYu, China’s envoy, elaborated on the Spring Festival’s essence: a pivotal moment for familial bonds, communal happiness, and forward-looking optimism. The temple fair offered an authentic taste of Chinese traditions, revealing layers of historical richness intertwined with modern values, reinforcing UNESCO’s mission of cultural preservation and dialogue.