Washington event celebrates Chinese culture 2024
On August 31, 2024, major Chinese community organizations in the Washington D.C. area jointly held the 22nd Washington Chinese Cultural Festival on Pennsylvania Avenue, D.C.
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng and his wife Wang Dan, Minister Qiu Wenxing, as well as President of the U.S.-China Business Council Craig Allen, representatives of D.C. and Maryland and local dignitaries attended the opening ceremony. U.S. President Joe Biden, Governor of Maryland Wes Moore, Mayor of D.C. Muriel Bowser, Federal Senators Chris Van Hollen and Mark Warner, and Federal Representatives Jamie Raskin and David Trone sent congratulatory letters.
In his remarks, Ambassador Xie said that the Washington Chinese Culture Festival has taken off in recent years. It is now an annual cultural event, a friendship rendezvous between the Chinese and American people. What belongs to a nation also belongs to the world. Recently, a Chinese triple A video game, “Black myth: Wukong”, has gone viral. It is based on the famous Chinese mythological novel, Journey to the West, written in China’s Ming Dynasty about four centuries ago. The boundless popularity of “Black Myth: Wukong” lies in at least three ingredients: Wukong’s optimistic, brave and righteous character; the timeless and unique charm of the Chinese culture; and, a universal human desire for communication, cooperation and mutual learning.
Ambassador Xie called for joint efforts to build the bridges and roads to connect our peoples. He said that when communication, openness and mutual understanding prevail, misgivings, exclusion and discrimination will recede. And when our peoples reach out to each other, the China-U.S. relationship gets more stable, grows better and moves forward.
Nearly 10,000 local people visited the festival. Ambassador Xie and Madam Wang joined the crowd in watching Chinese calligraphy, observing handicraft making, learning Tai Chi, and engaging with Chinese-studying American students.