STORY: St. Petersburg schoolchildren celebrate Chinese New Year with cultural gala
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 3, 2025
DATELINE: Feb. 4, 2025
LENGTH: 00:01:05
LOCATION: ST. PETERSBURG, Russia
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the celebrations

STORYLINE:

St. Petersburg hosted its ninth Chinese New Year School Festival on Monday, as nearly 1,000 students and parents celebrated the Spring Festival with a vibrant cultural gala.
   
The event kicked off with a chorus of the beloved Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower," followed by over 230 children from 17 local schools and kindergartens taking the stage to perform fan dances, martial arts, and Chinese opera.
   
Beyond the stage, the event offered hands-on cultural activities such as calligraphy, paper-cutting, and traditional Chinese printing.
   
Pavel Rozov, vice chairman of the St. Petersburg Education Committee, noted that 32 local schools now offer Chinese courses, with more than 5,000 students enrolled. To further expand access, the city launched a new remote learning program this year, making Chinese education available to an even wider audience.
   
Co-organized by the Chinese Consulate General in St. Petersburg and the local Confucius Institute of Oriental Languages and Cultures, the gala is a flagship event of the city's "Happy Chinese New Year" celebrations.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from St. Petersburg, Russia.
(XHTV)