Auckland, New Zealand, Oct 1 (UNI) Gust and showers here on Saturday didn't stop New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins from attending the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival event in Potters Park in central Auckland.
Hipkins first said "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival" in Chinese, not fluent but still winning applause from the audience.
He reiterated the great contributions the Chinese community has made to the country, and highlighted the strong bilateral relationship and people-to-people connections.
By using the example of New Zealand Haka dance under the Great Wall of Beijing during his trip to China a couple of months ago, Hipkins said he was shocked that the performance attracted tens of millions Chinese audience on social media. To reflect on Kiwi's enjoyment on Chinese Moon Festival, Hipkins phrased it a "from strength to strength "culture link.
His opinion was echoed by Wang Xiaolong, Chinese ambassador to New Zealand.
Wang said Chinese community in New Zealand contributed a lot for bridging the understanding of two peoples, which is the core value of the growing partnership between the two countries.
Despite the bad weather, hundreds of locals enjoyed the event. Apart from traditional lion dance, dragon dance, the show was highlighted by Kiwi girl Lucy Singleton's Mandarin song. Many kiwis were also attracted by traditional Chinese costumes show. Some of them even swarmed to try the clothes on and take pictures with the background of a full moon, symbolizing the family reunion in Chinese culture.
UNI/XINHUA ARN