On the evening of September 25th, the "Full-moon New York Mid-Autumn Festival" event organized by the Beijing Tourism Development Committee, the Sino-American Friendship Association and the New York City Council was held in the New York City Hall. Zhao Yumin, Representative Consul General of China in New York, Corey Johnson, Speaker of the New York City Council, Li Baochun, Director of the Beijing World Tourism City Development Center, Zhang Jinping, President of the Sino-American Friendship Association, and City Councilors Gu Yaming, Chen Qianwen and Barry Grodenchik, and nearly 400 Asian representatives from the five districts of the city celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio sent congratulatory letters. Li Liyan, cultural counselor of the Consulate General, and other diplomats attended.
The New York City Hall, completed in 1812, is where the New York City Government and Parliament located and is the oldest active city hall in the United States. This ancient city hall with more than 200 years of history has welcomed China's Mid-Autumn Festival for the first time. It is also the first time the city hall held cultural tourism activities of a foreign city in the United States.
Zhao Yumin said in his speech that the Mid-Autumn Festival means reunion, peace, harmony, and unity. Under the bright moon, happiness is among every family, regardless of nationality. The development of the relation between China and the United States has benefited from mutual cooperation over the years. Despite the challenges facing today's bilateral relations, I have always believed that the peoples of China and the United States are friendly to each other and that the two sides have mutually beneficial cooperation for decades. This foundation cannot be shaken. On the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a Chinese traditional festival, let us relive our love for family and friendship. I hope that the Chinese and American people will share the joy of family reunion and the joy of cooperation.
Li Baochun said that 2018 is the 38th anniversary of the establishment of a sister city between Beijing and New York. New York is an international business and financial center, and it is attracting tourists from all over the world. The New York City Hall is a landmark building in New York, and it is a testimony to the centuries-old history of the United States and the development of civilization. The two cities jointly celebrated the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival here, is highly aligning with the theme of promoting Beijing's traditional and emerging cultural tourism resources. Under the festive atmosphere, "Charming Beijing" appears in New York, the 100-year-old City Hall and the Millennium Cultural History of China are greatly enhancing the overseas visibility and influence of Beijing's cultural tourism.
Speaker Zhang Wei said that New York is a melting pot of culture. People from all over the world came to New York to pursue their American dreams while continuing their own traditions in this diverse land. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals in Asia. The City Council held the Mid-Autumn Festival for the first time this year, inviting outstanding Asian representatives to gather together to celebrate the traditional festival. In the future, the City Council will hold a Mid-Autumn Festival every year to continue this festival with thousand years of history, and invite Asian people to the City Hall to "eat moon cakes together and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival."
At the event, the Beijing Tourism Development Committee brought a culturally rich element of Beijing to the event, which was divided into five themes: "Imperial Culture", "Capital Culture", "Folk Culture", "Gourmet Culture" and "Fashionable Beijing". Using the form of interactive experience and performing arts the Committee introduced the history, culture, urban style, and the latest tourism products of Beijing to the guests.
The famous pianist, Beijing tourism ambassador Lang Lang, famous artist Bell Gonzi from Monaco and New York overseas Chinese representatives shared their personal feelings of Beijing and New York, and the exchanges between China and the United States. Lang Lang said that the cultural and artistic exchanges between the two cities have been continuously enhanced. As a pianist, he hopes to add to the cultural bridge between the two cities through the melody between the fingers.
The piano performance "Moonlight", the Beijing opera performance "Beijing is the hometown" and the song "Tonight is unforgettable" and other performances pushed the event to a brilliant moment.
