A student draws pictures of horses to mark the Year of the Horse during a celebration for the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival in Atbara, Sudan, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Fayez Elzaky/Xinhua)
ATBARA, Sudan, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Mandarin teaching center in Atbara in Sudan's River Nile State organized a celebration for the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival on Thursday for the second consecutive year.
The entrance to the National Fund Hall, the venue for the celebration, was decorated with red lanterns and traditional Chinese ornaments, meticulously hung by the center's students. Inside, the hall was filled with Spring Festival banners and Chinese characters conveying messages of optimism and renewal.
Muwaffaq Atif Babikir, director of the city's Mandarin Language Center, told Xinhua that the center's students began preparing for the celebration well in advance.
"This time, we made sure to provide Spring Festival banners and related cultural materials," he said. "Some were arranged through our own efforts, and the Chinese Embassy in Sudan offered valuable support, allowing us to present a well-rounded celebration that truly reflects the spirit of Chinese culture."
The event aims to introduce the local community to the traditions of the Spring Festival while encouraging students to deepen their interest in learning Chinese, Babikir said. He also noted that the center has become an important platform for cultural exchange, with new branches established in Port Sudan and Omdurman.
Students also saw this celebration as a chance to demonstrate their progress in learning Chinese, presenting artistic performances inspired by Chinese culture, such as singing and poetry recitations.
Interactive stations featured traditional paper-cutting and Chinese calligraphy, with local students and children enthusiastically joining in and trying their hand at these crafts, assisted by Chinese residents living in the city.
A mural depicting a horse, symbolizing the upcoming Chinese Year of the Horse, captured the attention of visitors. Its designer, student Ala'a Abu Bakr, told Xinhua that learning Chinese "is not just about words."
"It's also about understanding symbols and culture, and that's what I tried to express through this artwork," she said.
Nineteen-year-old student Sara Hisham, who took part in the artistic performances, shared that the celebration had been a significant inspiration for her to start learning Chinese.
"I attended last year's event as a spectator and didn't understand the language," she said, adding, "But the experience encouraged me to enroll at the center. Today, I'm a third-level student, taking part in performances, and I feel much closer to Chinese culture."
She added that the themes associated with the Spring Festival -- hope and new beginnings -- carry special significance in light of the current circumstances in Sudan, a country still embroiled in civil conflict.
Aya Siddiq, 26, traveled from Omdurman to attend the event. "Despite the challenges of travel, I found this celebration a positive space for connection and cultural exchange," she said. "The values of the Spring Festival are important, and I hope similar events will take place in more cities in the future."
At the closing of the event, Xu Jian, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Sudan, told Xinhua that the celebration served as a successful example of cultural exchange between the two countries and highlighted the appeal of Chinese culture.
"Despite the ongoing conflict in Sudan, the Mandarin Language Center has remained active, continuing to teach Chinese and promote Chinese culture," Xu said. ■
Paper-cut decorations are seen during a celebration for the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival in Atbara, Sudan, Jan. 29, 2026. (Photo by Fayez Elzaky/Xinhua)