China-EU 2010 Chinese New Year Party Held

On the afternoon of January 27， the banquet hall of the Doubletree by Hilton hotel in Beijing was scene for a happy and relaxed occasion involving more than 120 Chinese and foreign guests.

This was the China-EU 2010 Chinese New Year Party， jointly hosted by the Department of European and Asian Affairs of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， the China-EU Association (CEUA) and the Construction Committee of China-EU Forum (CCCEUF).

Chen Haosu and Li Jianping， President and Vice President of the CPAFFC and the CEUA respectively， Meng Xiaosu， CEUA Vice President and Director General of the CCCEUF， and 32 envoys and their families from 22 European and Central Asian countries as well as the Delegation of the European Commission to China gatheredto celebrate the Chinese New Year.

The party sparkled with witty creative ideas including singing and magic performances， floral designing and dumpling making competitions， drawing lots and puzzle games. All guests took part in these activities and had a good time.

Before the floral designing competition started， a professional designer gave everyone a short instruction about the aesthetic principles of flower arrangement and demonstrated some useful skills. The guests then divided into groups for the competition. Many of the ladies， who had a good knowledge of the art， had already started on their designs even before the lecturer completed his presentation. They used the flowers well to present unique art themes according to their personal understanding of the festival. Their works showed their enjoyment in the traditional Chinese festival celebration as well as special ways of expression by people with different cultural backgrounds.

Finally， the professional designer gave his judgment. He was so impressed by the brilliant works of art in front of him that he expressed high appreciation even amazement at some of the wonders on display， while the banquet hall was filled with applause and cheers for the most beautiful design that won the hearts of the audience.

In North China， speaking of food， people say “nothing is more delicious than dumpling”. Yet， the foreign friends， while familiar with eating dumplings， might have little idea of how to make them. Hence， a competition was held to provide an opportunity for foreign diplomats to overcome this deficiency. To begin with， a notable chef was invited to the stage to give a demonstration.

His good sense of humor and clever explanations amused the guests. Hardly had he finished his instructions than most of the guests put on an apron and decided on a division of labor and how they would work together. The competition was launched in delightful atmosphere. In every six-member group of the competition， Chinese and foreign guests cooperated quite efficiently， fully enjoying the happy festival.

Although the size and shape of the dumplings they made varied greatly， the participants all displayed a happy， smiling face. According to the chef’s strict professional judgment， awards for the best quality and the greatest number produced by a team were presented to the winners， and all were much amused by the different creative shapes of dumplings on the table which once again evoked much laughter to bring the party to a happy conclusion.

In the warm celebratory atmosphere， Chen Haosu and Meng Xiaosu delivered speeches， expressing thanks to the guests for their cooperation and support in the past year， which had promoted further development of non-governmental relationship between China and Europe， especially through holding forums and launching new projects mutual understanding and friendly feelings were deepened.

With the coming of the Year of the Tiger， they expressed their best wishes and hoped to jointly explore better future for the Sino-European relations. At the party， the Chinese and foreign guests had cordial chats recalling worthy memories of their cooperation in the cause of people-to-people friendship in the past year， sharing a good deal of happiness and good wishes， saying “happy New Year” to each other withlovely handmade cloth tiger puppets in their hands.