Poster of the opening concert at the global opening ceremony for the 2021 "Happy Chinese New Year" global festivities and cultural events. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org]

A global launch ceremony for the 2021 "Happy Chinese New Year" was held at the Tianqiao Art Center in Beijing on Feb 4.

Hu Heping, Chinese minister of culture and tourism, Shen Haixiong, director of the China Media Group, delivered video speeches during the ceremony which unveiled the 2021 "Happy Chinese New Year" global festivities and cultural events.

Minister Hu said in his speech that "Happy Chinese New Year" has visited quite a number countries and regions, offering opportunities for people all over the world to join the celebration.

"In the past year, with the COVID-19 virus wreaking havoc throughout the world, China has fought shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world against the pandemic. China's international cultural and people-to-people exchange was not interrupted," he said.

"The 2021 'Happy Chinese New Year' will roll our most of its events on online platforms to reach the global audience. In the next few weeks, a wide range of virtual cultural experiences, virtual tours, folklore presentations and intangible cultural heritage showcases featuring Chinese New Year traditions will meet the viewers through the internet."

"Diversity spurs interaction among civilizations, which in turn promotes mutual learning and their further development. We hope to promote closer cultural and tourism ties between China and the world through such event as 'Happy Chinese New Year'," Hu said in his speech.

"We gather here today to launch the 'Happy Chinese New Year' cultural promotion activity and 'Close-up on the Spring Festival' program, in the hope of sending festive greetings and best wishes to overseas Chinese and to people worldwide," Director Shen said in his speech.

"It is our responsibility to let the world better understand that the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind in not only a value proposition, but an action to answer the urgent call of the times and reality," Shen said. "Spring Festival is a window through which we can not only see the inclusiveness and vitality of the Chinese civilization, but also resonate with the shared values of shared future for mankind."

To send out Chinese New Year greetings worldwide, the ceremony also features fascinating percussion performance, dance and concert from China Opera and Dance Theatre, China National Orchestra, China Longyun Kungfu Entroupe and artists from other countries such as the US, Cameroon, and Ukraine.

The 2021 "Happy Chinese New Year" event will showcase folk customs and intangible cultural heritage activities rich in Spring Festival characteristics and reflecting Chinese culture through online platforms, so that global audiences can experience the Chinese Spring Festival culture without leaving their homes.

Starting from Feb 16, 10 episodes of the "Close-up on the Spring Festival" program will be broadcast live in 10 Chinese cities to explore the customs of all around China.