On 23 January 2025, Minister Zhao Fei from the Chinese Embassy in the UK attended and addressed the “Happy Chinese New Year - Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Salon” Event. Organisers from London, Bristol, Jersey and other places briefed the audience on a series of “Happy Chinese New Year” events to be held during the Spring Festival this year.

Minister Zhao Fei noted that the “Happy Chinese New Year” events have flourished across the UK over the years, attracting more and more British people to participate in the Spring Festival celebration and appreciate the Chinese Culture. “Hope, Home, Harmony, and Health”, or the four “Hs” that define The “Happy Chinese New Year” events in the UK have also taken root. Recently, the UNESCO inscribed Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, adding a new “H” to this year’s programme - Heritage, intangible cultural heritage (ICH). In recent years, China has made continued efforts to protect and preserve the intangible cultural heritage practices. Chinese ICH represented by the Spring Festival is becoming better perceived and practiced by friends from all over the world. The ICH practices and expressions are critical in promoting the inheritance and innovation of civilisations and advancing international cultural exchanges, serving as an important means of implementing the Global Civilisation Initiative.

As the first “Happy Chinese New Year” event after the inscription of the Spring Festival on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, this salon featured a series of world-renowned Chinese ICH programmes including Guqin, Kun Qu opera, Taijiquan, Acupuncture, calligraphy, and paper-cut. Guests at the event experienced these programmes with great interest, and enjoyed the beauty embodied in these Chinese ICHs in a festive mood.