On 27 February 2026, the Chinese New Year Gala “Peace and Friendship” was held in Paris. The event was organised by China Exhibition Europe in cooperation with the China World Ethnic Culture Exchange Promotion Association and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Leadership Development Centre, with backing from several partners including the China Cultural Centre in Paris.
Nearly 400 guests attended, among them ambassadors and representatives of permanent delegations to UNESCO, representatives of international organisations, and guests from a range of sectors. The Global Youth Dialogue among Civilizations Alliance (GYDCA) was invited to take part in what proved a useful setting for intercultural dialogue, friendship and international cooperation around Chinese New Year.
The Spring Festival, inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is increasingly read as a cultural symbol carrying shared human values. Staged in Paris, the gala set out to use the Spring Festival as a bridge between peoples — building a platform for exchange and mutual learning among civilizations, and for understanding and friendship between countries and regions.
The evening opened with the dance “China in the Lights” (灯火里的中国), performed by the dance troupe of Pui Ching Middle School Macao. The programme that followed ranged across traditional Chinese music, folk dance, choral singing, solo performance and original music-and-dance work. Through the evening, the richness of Chinese cultural heritage sat alongside artistic expression from France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Mauritania and elsewhere. Artists of different nationalities shared the stage to mark, through the universal language of art, the values of peace, friendship and cooperation — drawing warm applause from the audience.
