Cape Town, 1 February 2026 - the "Artistic Charm of China, Ties to South Africa" - China New Year Celebrating Cultural Event was held at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. The event was guided by the Open University of China (OUC), organised by the OUC Huaqiao College, and hosted by the South Africa (Cape Town) Open Learning Centre. Mr. REN Faqiang, Chinese Consul General in Cape Town, attended and addressed the event. Mr. Tertuis Simmers, the Western Cape Provincial Minister of Infrastructure; Major General Voskuil, Deputy Provincial Commissioner of Western Cape; and Aldmaz Theresa Uys, Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, were also present.
As a key cultural exchange activity under the 2026 China-South Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges and a core component of the "Splendid China in Cape Town" brand project, the event combined intangible cultural heritage experiences and cultural displays, attracting over 1,000 local South Africans and overseas Chinese online and offline. The offline venue featured intangible cultural heritage zones like bamboo weaving and traditional lacquer fan making, immersing participants in the charm of Chinese traditional lacquer art. The online component, supported by the Chengdu Open University International Chinese Education Cloud Platform, leveraged AI and VR to vividly showcase Chinese culture and etiquette.
Since its establishment, the South Africa (Cape Town) Open Learning Centre has championed Chinese language education and cultural dissemination. It has offered over 30 "Chinese + Intangible Cultural Heritage" courses, including Sichuan opera face-changing and Qingcheng Tai Chi, enrolling more than 600 students. Moving forward, the Centre will expand its "Chinese +" course offerings, providing African learners with high-quality platforms to learn Chinese and experience outstanding traditional Chinese culture. This will further deepen and solidify China-South Africa educational and people-to-people exchanges.
By Chengdu Open University, OUC College of International Education