On January 18th, the Chinese Ambassador Jin Zhijian and Ms. He Linyun invited nearly 200 guests from around 70 Icelandic families with their Chinese children to a gathering in celebration of the coming Chinese spring festival.
In his remarks, Ambassador Jin expressed his great pleasure for inviting all the families to the Embassy and share the festival joy of family reunion. He introduced the cultural background of Spring Festival and the Year of the Rat, and wished all the guests a happy Chinese New Year and auspicious Year of the Rat. He wished the children with progress in their academic performance and expressed sincere appreciation to their Icelandic parents and Icelandic Adoption Society for their utmost devotion. Ambassador Jin also reviewed China's development last year as well as the latest development of bilateral relations, and introduced the Happy Chinese New Year 2020 activities hosted by the Embassy and other host organizations. He invited all the guests to experience the Chinese culture in the coming events, and contribute to the friendship between China and Iceland.
Mr. Kristinn Ingvarsson, Executive Director of Icelandic Adoption Society and Mr. Haukur Guðmundsson, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice spoke highly of the development of the bilateral relations, and sincerely expressed their sincere appreciation to the Embassy for hosting such meaningful event. They believed the gathering will impress the children and their families and inspired them to bridge together Iceland China with more cultural exchanges and enhanced friendship.
Some Chinese children of Icelandic families and representatives from the Confucius Institute presented performance of piano, solo and Kongfu Show and received warm applause and cheers. The audience also enjoyed the short cartoon film on Chinese spring festival and tasted the delicious Chinese food, which prepared them better to understand more of Chinese culture. The Embassy also prepared each kid with a holiday gift.
The gathering was fully of joy and laughter. The guests all thanked the embassy for hosting the event, and believed it will be inspiring for the children to experience the charm of traditional Chinese culture and feel the love of reunion and happiness. They would certainly contribute to the friendship between China and Iceland in the future.
