Liege, Belgium - Jan 18, 2020 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of people doing Taichi
2. Various of spectators, Chinese umbrella dance
3. Dance of ethnic minority in China
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Cao Zhongming, Chinese ambassador to Belgium:
"The Spring Festival is a representative traditional festival of the Chinese people. We want to share such national culture with the world, because, as we often say, what's unique to a nation is also precious to the world. We hope the Belgian people share our happiness from the Spring Festival."
5. Various of Chinese dragon dance
6. Various of spectators
7. Chinese ribbon dance
8. Spectators
9. Chinese lantern dance
10. Chinese Lion dance, dragon dance
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Willy Borsus, vice president, Wallonia:
"For sure the cooperation, but also the relations amongst the people. It's also the opportunity to meet the people, to discuss with them and also perhaps to imagine something to do together in the future."
12. Temple fair
13. Various of children learning Chinese calligraphy
14. Various of people learning making Chinese knots
15. Various of children learning drawing facial designs of Chinese Peking opera
16. Chinese wearing traditional Chinese clothes, visitors

Thousands upon thousands of overseas Chinese and local residents turned out in pageantry and floats to celebrate the Chinese New Year in the largest city of Liege in Belgium on Saturday.

Starting with a grand performance of Taichi, the procession was composed of 20 formations containing around 1,500 artists and volunteers.

Participating were overseas Chinese as well as local fans of Chinese culture, who, while moving forward, played traditional Chinese lion dance, umbrella dance, and dances of minority people in China.
"The Spring Festival is a representative traditional festival of the Chinese people. We want to share such national culture with the world, because, as we often say, what's unique to a nation is also precious to the world. We hope the Belgian people share our happiness from the Spring Festival," said Cao Zhongming, Chinese ambassador to Belgium.

The Spring Festival procession lasted for three hours. Tens of thousands of local residents and visitors watched the event. The cold weather did not dampen their enthusiasm. Many passers-by, inspired by the atmosphere, joined in the procession.

The celebration has brought not only joy and fresh cultural experience to the Belgian people, but also closer together of the two peoples.

"For sure the cooperation, but also the relations amongst the people. It's also the opportunity to meet the people, to discuss with them and also perhaps to imagine something to do together in the future," said Willy Borsus, vice president of the region of Wallonia.

This is the fifth year that Happy Spring Festival procession has been organized in Belgium and the first time in Liege. It is also the largest one so far.

What's special with this year is the new temple fair, where people from the Confucius Institute of the University of Liege, and artists from China demonstrated special Chinese folk culture.

Visitors in the temple fair can experience Chinese calligraphy, try making Chinese knots, drawing facial designs of Chinese Peking opera or writing Spring Festival couplets to get the feel of the Spring Festival.