Participants watched theatrical and cultural exhibits including Chinese music, dragon dance and kung fu performances, as well as a fashion show featuring traditional qipao.
Hundreds of visitors also had the opportunity to try a variety of traditional Chinese dishes.
Zhang came to Nairobi two years ago to work at Two Rivers Mall, a shopping complex in the city’s Diplomatic Blue Circle that was built as a joint venture between Kenya’s Centum Investment Company and Chinese company Avic. .
He said sampling food from different states helped him reconnect with his home country. “Beijing is famous for Peking duck. Food from Sichuan and Hunan provinces [provinces] It’s more hot and spicy,” he said. Guangdong and Hainan cuisines “don’t like their original flavors to be overwhelmed by too many ingredients,” Zhang added.
Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian and Nairobi UN Secretary-General Zainab Hawa Bangura were among the prominent guests.
Kenya is also an important destination for Chinese tourists who want to experience the safari circuit, particularly the Masai Mara National Reserve, which is home to the “big five” African elephant, lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, and rhinoceros.
Kenya welcomed around 200 Chinese tourists last week on the luxury cruise ship MSC Poesia. Passengers visited Kenya’s sandy beaches and wildlife reserves, including Wasini Island and the coastal Tsavo East National Park, as part of Lunar New Year festivities.
“There are thousands of Chinese people here. We work far from home and feel homesick during traditional Chinese holidays,” Zhang said.
“This event makes us happy and makes us feel at home. It’s a good way to tell China’s story to the world.”
Dr. Henry Rotich, Chairman of the Kenya China Alumni Association, emphasized the importance of the Lunar New Year in strengthening the bonds of friendship between the two countries.
“The Chinese are very passionate about preserving their culture,” he says. “Kenyans, whether at home or abroad, can always learn from them how to preserve and celebrate our culture.”
Student scholarships have also strengthened ties between the two countries, said Rotich, whose organization represents Kenyans who have studied in China. He said many students “returned with ideas and business opportunities to implement in Kenya and contributed to nation-building.”
Gao Wei, president of the Overseas Chinese Association of Kenya, said “very good” bilateral relations were drawing Chinese into Kenya’s construction and services industries. He said the Year of the Dragon is an auspicious year to “unite the people and strengthen cooperation.”
Gao added that the Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year, is an important tradition celebrated in 20 countries, involving one-fifth of the world’s population.
Kenyan President William Ruto commemorated this by sending a message of goodwill to the Chinese people, saying that the Kenyan administration will continue to support the Chinese business community to operate smoothly for the benefit of all.
“We are also ensuring that members of the Chinese community in Kenya are receiving the support they need to feel like a second home as they contribute to the transformative partnership between Kenya and China,” he said in a statement on Saturday. I will make sure that.”