STORY: Chinese peacekeepers hold activities to celebrate Spring Festival
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Feb. 15, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:23
LOCATION: Kinshasa/Addis Ababa/Beirut
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various shots of celebration at a United Nations (UN) camp in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
2. Chinese peacekeepers celebrate Spring Festival in different ways
3. various shots of events held by the 14th batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops to South Sudan (Wau)
4. various shots of events held by the Chinese peacekeeping military utility helicopter unit to the Abyei area
5. various shots of Chinese New Year Eve meal at the Chinese peacekeepers' camp in Lebanon
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): LI LONG
7. various shots of Chinese peacekeepers evacuate peacekeeping missions during Spring Festival and the patrol service team has been dispatched by the medical company of Chinese peacekeeping troops to DRC
8. various shots of Chinese peacekeepers evacuating peacekeeping missions during Spring Festival and celebration events held by them

STORYLINE:

Red lanterns, couplets, and paper-cutting signal the celebration of Spring Festival at a United Nations (UN) camp in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

As the Chinese New Year arrived, Chinese peacekeepers based in different countries celebrated the occasion with a series of activities.

In South Sudan, the 14th batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops to Wau invited officials from the UN Mission in South Sudan, UN policemen and peacekeepers from various countries to celebrate the Spring Festival together.

In December 2023, the UN General Assembly officially listed the Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings starting in 2024.

Abyei, a region straddling Sudan and South Sudan, has also witnessed Spring Festival celebrations held by the fourth batch of Chinese peacekeeping military utility helicopter unit.

Over 300 peacekeepers from different countries were invited to the celebrations.

At the Chinese peacekeepers' camp in Lebanon, a sumptuous Chinese New Year's Eve meal was prepared. The dragon on the table was carved by Li Long.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): LI LONG
"This year is the Year of the Dragon (in the Chinese zodiac). The Year of the Dragon would bring favorable weather and national prosperity, ensuring peace and safety for all."

For the Chinese, Spring Festival is an important occasion for family reunion. But Chinese peacekeepers on UN missions have remained at their posts, far away from home.

In Central Africa, Chinese military doctors are still on the move during the Chinese New Year. A service team has been dispatched in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, traveling more than 200 km to provide medical treatment.

Thousands of miles away, helicopters piloted by Chinese peacekeepers still take off every day in the Abyei area during the Spring Festival.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kinshasa/Addis Ababa/Beirut.
(XHTV)