The celebration of the upcoming Spring Festival is held in Nairobi, Kenya on Jan 19, 2025. [Photo by Zhang Xi/chinadaily.com.cn]

"China actively implements the Global Civilization Initiative and advocates exchanges, mutual learning, inheritance and development among different civilizations," she said while delivering a speech. "Today's Nairobi Chinese New Year Gala is a vivid practice of this initiative. The Spring Festival contains the cultural genes and emotions that have been transmitted within the Chinese nation for thousands of years".

The Spring Festival, marking the start of the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional festival of the Chinese nation. This year's Spring Festival falls on Jan 29. The festival was listed as a United Nations floating holiday in December 2023, and last year, it was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Speaking on behalf of the Kenyan government Ummi Bashir, principal secretary for culture, the arts and heritage, said culture and tourism are gaining their rightful place in bilateral cooperation between the two countries and will contribute to the growth of bilateral relations.