| 2025-02-09Source：Xinhua |
Minnie Ang (3rd R) celebrates the Spring Festival with her family members in her apartment in Singapore on Feb. 1, 2025. (Xinhua) by Xinhua writer Shi Yifei NANJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- "Xin Chun Kuai Le!" Zekrollah Aflatuni, 80, toasted to a happy Spring Festival in fluent Chinese, clinking glasses with his guests at a table laden with holiday dishes and delights. It was the eve of the 27th Spring Festival that this silver-haired Iranian-Finnish man has celebrated since he first arrived in Suzhou, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province. "I come from Finland, the hometown of Santa Claus," Aflatuni said joyfully. "For me, besides Christmas, the Spring Festival is another grand event every year for family gatherings and happiness." "Dumplings are a must-have," Aflatuni told Xinhua. "We're also having niangao," he said, referring to a type of glutinous rice cake that is often eaten during the Spring Festival. On Jan. 28, Aflatuni celebrated the eve of the Spring Festival with his wife and some of the Chinese staff of Finland Home Cafe, his cozy eatery tucked away on Pingjiang Road -- a historical and cultural block located in the heart of Suzhou's well-preserved old town. "My wife and I chose to open the cafe here because we wanted to immerse ourselves in the very essence of Suzhou culture," Aflatuni said. "Walking down Pingjiang Road, you can feel the 2,500-year history of this charming water town." Suzhou, dubbed "Venice in the East" by 13th-century Venetian explorer Marco Polo, is celebrated not only for the beauty of its winding canals, elegant bridges and classical gardens -- but also for its rich cultural heritage, which includes a musical element in the form of Pingtan, the city's distinctive style of ballad songs. Calling himself "a Suzhou local," Aflatuni has even learned to sing Pingtan songs in the Suzhou dialect. This year, he performed a song at the local Spring Festival gala, blending the graceful art of Pingtan with the rhythms of an Iranian drum. Watching fireworks during the Spring Festival is another item on the must-do list for Aflatuni. He still remembers clearly the dazzling fireworks display on the eve of the festival in 1999. The sky was alive with color for hours, a spectacle that left him mesmerized. That was his first Spring Festival experience in China, after he had assumed the post of deputy general manager of Finnish multinational Nokia's Suzhou branch. "The branch was located in the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) on the outskirts of the city. When we first got there, it was mostly paddy fields and fish ponds," Aflatuni said. "Over the years, the SIP has blossomed into a remarkable industrial hub." As China's first intergovernmental cooperation project with Singapore, the SIP symbolizes the country's reform and opening up, while also reflecting its rapid modernization and the development of an open economy, according to Duan Jinjun, a professor at the Business School of Soochow University. "The city's blend of ancient traditions and modern innovation makes it ideal for foreign visitors eager to immerse themselves in the Spring Festival, offering a glimpse of both traditional and contemporary China," Duan added. Thanks to a 240-hour visa-free transit policy, many international travelers have packed their bags and headed to China to soak up the festive atmosphere. Suzhou, a popular destination, was well prepared to welcome visitors with over 1,100 festive activities on offer in the course of the eight-day holiday period, local culture and tourism authorities reported. Minnie Ang, a Singaporean living in Suzhou, told Xinhua that she has friends from Australia, Singapore and Switzerland who planned to celebrate the Spring Festival in the city this year. Ang's parents moved to the SIP in 2008 to establish Orientech Fine Blanking, a manufacturing company in the automotive industry. Five years ago, she joined the company and has since made Suzhou her second home. "Suzhou has a way of pulling you in," Ang said, reflecting on how deeply the city has impacted her life, and on how the SIP reminds her of Singapore. According to official data, Suzhou is currently home to around 30,000 foreign nationals, ranking first in Jiangsu Province, which is one of China's most developed regions. Most of these expats chose to live in the SIP. As this year's Spring Festival drew near, Ang, who grew up celebrating the holiday in Singapore, recreated the familiar sights of Suzhou's New Year celebrations in her apartment in Singapore, hanging Chinese knots and decorating doors with Spring Festival couplets, thereby filling her home with the warmth of this holiday. Ang also brought Suzhou specialties like osmanthus cakes as gifts for her friends and relatives. On the eve of the Spring Festival, she and her loved ones gathered around the table to enjoy yusheng, a raw fish salad that is served to celebrate this grand event in Singapore, while also enjoying Suzhou's iconic niangao in a meal fusing the flavors of her two homes. "The Spring Festival serves as a valuable opportunity for people from different cultural backgrounds and all walks of life to get to know China and the invaluable cultural significance behind this festival," Ang said. ■ |
