"WHEN CULTURES COME TOGETHER"

On Jan 19, red lanterns, Chinese paper-cuts and lion dances decorated the ancient Brazilian city of Recife. Hundreds of Brazilians gathered at the city's Marco Zero Square on this very day, not only to mark the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, but also to celebrate the inclusion of the Chinese New Year into Recife's official calendar.

"Our historical heritage, with the reception of the light show of China, is as if the two cultures are united ... and talk a little to the world that brotherhood between peoples is possible. And that, how beautiful it is when cultures come together!" said City Councilor Cida Pedrosa.

"The relationship between peoples is extremely important, because what makes a culture flow and (stay) alive is when one culture meets another culture," she said.

On Sept 19, 2022, Recife okayed a decree proposed by Pedrosa to establish the Chinese New Year as an official holiday in the city. In early February this year, the city of Foz do Iguacu in southern Brazil also decided to make the Chinese New Year celebration an annual event.

Cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries have been flourishing over the years, for example, in sports, medicine and the arts. Fourteen Confucius Institutes have been established in Brazil, the most among Latin American countries, and Brazil has set up a national festival to celebrate every August the arrival of Chinese immigrants to Brazil.

In February 2021, the first Chinese school in Brazil opened in Rio de Janeiro. Two years later, the two countries launched virtual courses for teaching Chinese language and culture to beginners.

China and Brazil need to capitalize on the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year to carry out more people-to-people exchanges, and cultivate stronger public support for Sino-Brazilian friendship, Xi said Friday.

Similarly, Lula said he has full confidence that Brazil-China relations will embrace a brighter future.