"Five, four, three, two, one!" Accompanied by the earth-shattering countdown and cheers, at 6:30 p.m. local time on the 4th, more than a thousand balloons under the famous Japanese landmark Tokyo Tower were released from the hands of 500 children, followed by the Tokyo Tower for the first time to light up "China Red".
The picture is from the official website of Tokyo Tower
According to a report by China News Service on February 5, on the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve of the Chinese lunar calendar, the tokyo tower was crowded, and everyone braved the cold to come from all over the place to witness this historical moment.
Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua attended the lighting ceremony and delivered a speech. Cheng Yonghua said: "Today is the traditional Chinese Chinese New Year's Eve night. In Tokyo, Japan, we join nearly 1.4 billion Chinese and tens of millions of overseas Chinese to celebrate this most important traditional festival. ”
Cheng Yonghua said that in China, red symbolizes enthusiasm, happiness, beauty and prosperity. Tokyo Tower is a famous sightseeing spot in Japan and the symbol of Tokyo. On the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve, Tokyo Tower was draped with "Chinese red", which not only expressed the heart and cordial greetings of the vast number of overseas Chinese in Japan to the motherland and their relatives, but also conveyed the Japanese people's holiday wishes and good wishes for the Chinese people, and even more implied that Sino-Japanese relations will rise to a higher level in the new year and usher in new development.
"Chinese Red" illuminates the night sky of Tokyo, and more and more people are attracted to this "spectacle". Under the tower, the children waved the national flags of China and Japan, clapped their hands with music, and sang the song "Spring Dawn", "Spring sleep is not aware, everywhere you smell birds...". The relaxed melody and familiar lyrics made the overseas Chinese who were watching also clap their hands and sing together.
It is reported that the 500 children are from Yokohama Yamate Chinese School, Tongyuan Chinese School, Mushin Chinese School. Yang Lin, principal of Tongyuan Chinese School, said in an interview with China News Agency that there were more than 160 children in their school, and the age was roughly 7 to 9 years old. The children used their spare time to rehearse for three weeks. Children can experience the traditional Chinese New Year culture through the tokyo tower to light up the "Chinese Red" for the first time on this special day of Chinese New Year's Eve, which will be an unforgettable memory for a lifetime. "Both the children and the parents were very excited tonight, and they all reported that today's event was very meaningful." Yang Lin told reporters.
Around the children, New Year lanterns from Zigong, Sichuan Province, well-known Chinese elements such as "Journey to the West" and "Giant Panda" attracted a large number of tourists to stop and take photos. There is also a wonderful lion dance performance in the venue, and the vivid "lion" wagging its tail into the crowd for tourists to touch.
Ms. Zhao has lived in Tokyo for many years, and due to work reasons, she rarely has the opportunity to return to China for the New Year, and after hearing the news of the lantern ceremony at night, she rushed to the scene early to find a location with a good view. "Every festive season, this event is really warm, now my heart is warm, next year no matter what, I will go home for the Spring Festival," Ms. Zhao told reporters.
On the way back from the reporter, Mr. Yoshida, a taxi driver, asked, "Why are there so many people over there in Tokyo Tower, and how did the tower turn red?" After listening to the reporter's answer, Yoshida sighed that there were so many similarities between the cultures of Japan and China, and the neighbors should deepen their understanding and exchanges with each other.
According to the News of the People's Daily client on February 4, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent sincere New Year greetings to the Chinese people through a video message. It is reported that this is the first time that the current prime minister of Japan has paid tribute to the Chinese people through video.
People's Daily client video screenshot