LAGOS, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- It was celebration galore on Saturday at the Tafawa Balewa Square when the Chinese community in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, welcomed the 2020 Chinese Lunar New Year.
The festivities feature dances, miming, karaoke, speeches, exhibition, wining and dining, and fireworks, as people wish each other the best of lucks and fortunes.
Chinese diplomats, business people, students, teachers, and their friends gathered at 14.5-hectare square to enjoy performances organized by overseas Chinese, Chinese-funded enterprises and the Confucius Institute in Lagos, with support from the Consulate General in Lagos.
Revelers were treated to demonstration of participants' knowledge of Chinese language and culture as they sampled Chinese foods and beverages, and performances of martial arts, and a fashion show that featured Nigerian and Chinese couture.
Welcoming guests, who comprised Chinese nationals, Nigerians and people from other countries, Eric Ni Meng Xiao, chairman of the Chinese Community in Lagos, thanked Nigerians for supporting the Chinese community.
Chu Maoming, the Chinese Consul General in Lagos, said coming together calls for a deeper celebration.
This Year of the Rat marks a fresh start for China and China-African relations, he said.
China-Nigeria relations will be more beneficial through cooperation in all areas, including culture, Chu said.
Lagos governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said Lagos would continue to promote Nigeria-China friendship.
One highlight at the event was fund-raising by the Chinese Women Association in Nigeria, which has been supporting orphanages and vulnerable persons in different communities in Lagos.
In 2018, the association donated equipment, including a generating set, musical instruments, freezers, stoves, bedsheet and recording pens, worth over 33,000 U.S. dollars to the Bethesda Home for the Blind.
