Guests celebrating the Chinese New Year in Santiago, Chile. [Second left: Niu Qingbao, Chinese ambassador to Chile; third left: Evelyn Matthei, mayor of Providencia; third right: Gu Hongjuan, Chinese president of the Confucius Institute of Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC Chile)]

Confucius Institutes worldwide staged an incredible array of Spring Festival events to celebrate the Chinese Lunar Year of the Rabbit and display traditional Chinese culture. Performances included traditional dragon and lion dances, local opera performances, martial arts shows and more. 

Chile: 'Chinese New Year' in close-up 

On January 14, tens of thousands of Chileans and Chinese residents celebrated the Chinese New Year in Santiago, capital of Chile. 

The event was jointly organized by the Chinese embassy in Chile, the Providencia District Government of Santiago, the Confucius Institute of Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC Chile) and the Chilean Dragon and Lion Dance Federation. More than 200 performers from China and Chile staged splendid performances of modern martial arts, Tai Chi, dragon and lion dances and free combat. Among them, the shows put on by the Confucius Institute of UC Chile, including face changing, Peking Opera Ode to Pear Blossoms, Chinese classical dance, traditional Chinese musical instrument performance, allegro Spring Festival Nursery Rhyme, won bursts of applause from the audience.