STORY: Chinese Language Day marked in Geneva
SHOOTING TIME: April 23, 2024
DATELINE: April 24, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:43
LOCATION: GENEVA, Switzerland
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the event
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): TATIANA VALOVAYA, Director-general of the UN in Geneva 
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN XU, Permanent representative of China to the UN office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland
4. various of the concert
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): AIIREZA JEYRANI HOKMABAD, Minister counsellor of the permanent mission of Iran in Geneva

STORYLINE:

At the Palais des Nations in Geneva, a concert featuring Chinese classical and folk music marked the 15th United Nations Chinese Language Day celebrations. 

Renowned artists Mo Juanjuan and Zhang Zhiming from Hunan, China, enchanted nearly 400 guests with their performances at the UN meeting hall.
   
Titled "A Panorama of Hunan Province -- A Concert of Traditional Chinese Instruments in Celebration of the UN Chinese Language Day Programme," the event was jointly organized by the permanent mission of China to the UN office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, the UN office in Geneva and China Media Group.

Tatiana Valovaya, the director-general of the UN in Geneva, emphasized that the event honored Chinese history and experiences beyond just commemorating Chinese Language Day.
   
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): TATIANA VALOVAYA, Director-general of the UN in Geneva
"I would like to thank Ambassador Chen, the permanent mission of China, who really created this festive atmosphere here in the Palais des Nations. We are not celebrating only the language, we're celebrating the history of Chinese people, we're celebrating the journey of Chinese people and of course, we celebrate our common humanity, our common heritage."
   
Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the UN office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, highlighted how in today's globalized world, individuals from diverse nations have united to forge a community with a shared future.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN XU, Permanent representative of China to the UN office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland
"In Chinese, the character Ren (person in English) consists of one stroke and another stroke, which means that people are interdependent and need mutual support to survive in the world. In today's world where different cultures, races, skin colors, and social systems co-exist, people of all countries have formed a community with a shared future in which we are among you and you are among us."

AIireza Jeyrani Hokmabad, minister counsellor of the permanent mission of Iran in Geneva, expressed his delight, saying that the event served as a wonderful introduction to the richness of China's culture.
  
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): AIIREZA JEYRANI HOKMABAD, Minister counsellor of the permanent mission of Iran in Geneva
"Today was a very super brilliant day. That was a very meticulous way of getting acquainted with the brilliant Chinese culture. I'm really happy just to have attended this event."
   
The UN's Language Days, created in 2010, celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity and promote the equal use of the organization's six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Geneva, Switzerland.
(XHTV)