The Chinese community in Tongatapu last night celebrated not only their traditional Chinese Lunar New Year but also the beginning of the Chinese Spring Festival of the Year of the Rooster.

Hosted by HE Mr Gao Shanhai, the Chinese Ambassador to Tonga, with the presence of the Prince Regent HRH Prince Tupouto'a, the reception dinner was set with Chinese decorations, music and traditional food at the International Dateline Hotel. He dedicated the evening to the friendship between China and Tonga.

Gao Shanhai said that the Chinese Lunar Year is a festival of unification of families and relatives. ...“Eating dumplings in the New Year...’s eve is the special occasion for several generations of a Chinese family to get together and enjoy the warmth of the whole family....”

He said that the Spring Festival not only livens up the Chinese nation but also the whole world "representing the Chinese traditional culture of longing for peace, friendship and family happiness as well as best wishes for the future".