Chen Daojiang | Year of the Snake: Celebrating wisdom and longevity

January 29 is Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. It comes to us with a long and profound culture as the oldest, most important and distinctive traditional festival of the Chinese nation.

Its history can be traced back to more than 4,000 years ago, and the Chinese tradition of celebrating the New Year on the first day of the first lunar month has continuously existed for more than 2,100 years.

The Spring Festival embodies the Chinese people’s longing for newness, expectations for family reunions, and also the pursuit of a better life. During the Spring Festival, relatives and friends gather to, among other traditions, write the Chinese character Fu (happiness), eat dumplings, post Spring Festival couplets, light firecrackers, and enjoy lanterns. The colourful traditional New Year customs always remain relevant and lively, triggering the vibrant atmosphere of peace and joy in the Chinese New Year.

Proudly, “Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year”, was inscribed on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on December 4, 2024. It has added a strong accent to the historical chapter of the implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative and the promotion of exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations by China. As the traditional Chinese festival with the deepest connotation, the richest content, the largest number of participants and the greatest influence, the Spring Festival has become a symbol of Chinese culture that is universally accepted, recognised, and appreciated by the world, showing the unique Chinese spirit and style.

Nearly 20 countries have made the Spring Festival a public holiday. About a fifth of the world’s population welcomes the festival in various forms, bidding farewell to the old, ushering in the new and praying for blessings and happiness.

VIBRANT CULTURE

Jamaica has also been a country with a vibrant and flourishing Chinese culture. Looking back over the past year, we warmly celebrated the 170th anniversary of Chinese arrival in Jamaica. I was privileged to attend great events with friends from all walks of life, witness the grand history of the Chinese people’s continued striving in Jamaica and feel the inclusive philosophy of “Out of Many, One People”. I am thrilled to learn that the rise of Chinese culture is still ongoing. At the very moment when you are reading this article, the local Chinese community is organising a series of celebrations such as festival fairs and parties, which will bring a strong new year flavour and warmth to Jamaica. This one will be the third consecutive Spring Festival that I am enjoying in Jamaica. I will definitely once again share with Jamaican friends the profound heritage of traditional festivals and the magnificent, inclusive cultural core of China.

The Chinese zodiac sign for 2025 is the Snake. In traditional Chinese culture, the snake is known as the “little dragon”, a symbol of wisdom, flexibility, and longevity. In this brand-new year, I sincerely hope that more and more Jamaican friends will actively participate in the lively exchanges and cooperation between China and Jamaica and share the opportunities and benefits arising from the development of the China-Jamaica strategic partnership.

I am ready to keep working with all of my Jamaican colleagues and friends for more consensus and an even tighter community with a shared future for China and Jamaica.

In this time of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, I wish all Jamaican friends a happy Chinese New Year, good health, a happy family, and a successful career! Let’s wish China and Jamaica prosperity, peace, and an everlasting friendship!

Chen Daojiang is ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Jamaica and permanent representative of the People’s Republic of China to the International Seabed Authority. Send feedback to xiajamaica@gmail.com.