VIENNA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- A series of celebratory events marking the United Nations (UN) Chinese Language Day kicked off at the UN family in Vienna on Monday.
More than 700 people, including representatives of Vienna-based international organizations, diplomats and UN employees, attended the grand opening ceremony at the Vienna International Center.
This year's Chinese Language Day celebration, themed "Diverse Cultures and Romantic Scenery," features a spate of exhibitions on south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a border region often dubbed as China's gateway to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries.
The exhibits include the region's traditional cultural products, ethnic costumes and photos showcasing its renowned landmarks and its achievements in cooperation with ASEAN.
At the ceremony, Li Song, China's permanent representative to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna, said the Chinese language is a long-standing cultural bond, and it will help carry forward the Chinese civilization and the world civilization toward a shared future.
Li said this year's Chinese Language Day events will use Guangxi as an example to tell the story of Chinese civilization and development, showcase colorful and vivid Chinese culture and the achievement of mutual learning and development cooperation between China and ASEAN countries.
"In the new era, China and the Chinese people have the broad mind to understand the values of different civilizations, respect the exploration of their own development paths by the people of other countries, and uphold equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness to promote the common values of mankind," he said.
Miao Qingwang, vice chairman of the Guangxi regional government, said that the Chinese language carries the rich historical and cultural significance of the Chinese nation, and that he hopes this year's Chinese Language Day celebration will promote Guangxi's cultural exchanges and development cooperation with the world.
Representatives of UN Vienna organizations also told the opening ceremony that Chinese, as one of the six official languages of the UN, plays an important role in promoting the cause of the UN and international exchanges and cooperation.
At Monday's opening ceremony, artists from Guangxi staged folk music and dance performances and ethnic costume shows, which drew rounds of applause from the audience.
This year's Chinese Language Day celebration at the UN Vienna, which will run until Thursday, is jointly hosted by China's permanent mission to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna, the Guangxi regional government and the UN Information Service in Vienna.
The UN observes the Chinese Language Day on April 20 annually to promote multilingualism, cultural diversity, and the use of Chinese as one of the organization's six official languages.
