China News Service, Pretoria, September 28 (Reporter Sun Xiang) "The same full moon!" "The same friendship!" From September 26 to 27, the 2026 China-South Africa Mid-Autumn Festival Cultural Exchange Festival was held in Times Square, Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa. On and off the stage, there was a call and a response, and different ethnic groups, languages and cultures merged into the same round of applause and cheers at this moment. "China and South Africa have a lot in common." Sepheu Masemola, chairman of the South African National Heritage Committee, said in his speech that South Africa's Cultural Heritage Month coincides with the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival and can be described as "the same full moon, diverse cultures, and a common human family." This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Mid-Autumn Festival being included in China's first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists. Karen Harris, former president of the South African Historical Society and emeritus professor at the University of Pretoria, said in an interview with China News Service that the concept of reunion advocated by the Mid-Autumn Festival can also resonate with the South African people. Harris, who has long studied the history of the Chinese in South Africa, said that the Chinese community has a long history and a large number of people in South Africa, but many local people have limited understanding of it. "Such festivals and events can enhance mutual understanding." On the main stage, more than a hundred performers from Chinese and South African art groups took turns to perform: the exciting beats of African tambourines complemented the leaping and leaping Chinese lion dance, South African Zulu dance and ballroom dance appeared one after another; the Hanfu catwalk complemented African modern fashion, and the South African martial arts practitioner's display of Chinese Kung Fu won full applause... Different cultures blended and resonated on the same stage, and there was applause one after another. Outside the stage, in the Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience Area, Hanfu trying-on, calligraphy inscriptions, paper-cutting and tea art attracted a large number of South African people to queue up to experience it; in the food area, the aroma of salted crispy chicken, candied haws, and fried noodles filled the air; in the Chinese Brands and Technology Exhibition Area, new energy vehicles and intelligent communication equipment were on display. Masemola and many South African people held folding fans with the Chinese characters "Ruyu" and "Mountain and Sea" written on them, and took photos in front of the Chinese-style setting of "Full Moon Mid-Autumn Festival", freezing the smiling faces. The picture shows South African people taking a group photo in front of the "Full Moon Mid-Autumn Festival" Chinese-style landscaping. China News Service reporter Sun Xiang photographed Shao Xiudan, who has lived in South Africa for more than 20 years, performing on stage wearing traditional Hanfu. She felt: "This year's Mid-Autumn Festival is particularly lively. Not only can I reunite with my relatives and friends, I feel very proud to see so many local South African people interested in traditional Chinese costumes and culture." "The performance is so surprising. Whether it is local South African dancers or Chinese actors, they are full of tension!" Ronnie Singh, an audience member, said: "The cultural festival has truly brought people of different ethnic groups and backgrounds together." The picture shows the participants and guests. Photographed by China News Service reporter Sun Xiang This event was hosted by the Johannesburg Huaxing Art Troupe in South Africa and co-organized by Times Square in Pretoria and the Central-South Youth Federation. Huang Jingjing, a representative of the organizer, said that this is an innovation co-created by the Chinese community in South Africa and South African artists. It is hoped that this will "allow each other to see culture, feel sincerity, get to know each other through communication, and get closer through mutual understanding." Qin Zhanpeng, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, delivered a speech at the scene, saying that this year is the Year of People-to-People Exchanges between China and Africa, and it coincides with South Africa's Cultural Heritage Month, and the People's Republic of China is about to celebrate its 77th anniversary. This event is not only a vivid "two-way trip" for people-to-people cultural exchanges between China and South Africa, but also a tribute to South Africa's Cultural Heritage Month and human cultural heritage. It is hoped that culture can be used as a bridge to further promote exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and South African civilizations, enhance mutual understanding and mutual understanding between the people of the two countries, and gather more humanistic power to promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind. (over)
