African expatriates savor festival China

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. This well-known saying gives a just right depiction of what African expatriates are doing in this southern economic hub bathed in festival joy.

As all trading centers in the downtown Dongfengjie Neighborhood have been closed in observance of the Lunar Chinese New Year which fell upon Sunday, Africans who used to been seen rushing back and forth to procure goods with huge bags on their back suddenly got leisure.

Some sit in street corner shops, sipping tea while others turned up in farmer markets, choosing vegetable and fruits.

"This is time to have a good break. We are usually too busy," said Mohamed Issifi, a Malian merchant who celebrated the eve of the Year of Tiger with Chinese friends at home.

Like most Chinese, he was glued to a TV set for the annual live broadcast Spring Festival Evening Party which has become a national highlight on the New Year Eve since it was first held by the Chinese Central Television Station in 1983.

But not every African wanted to recuperate at home. Said Issa, a student at the Zhongshan University from Burkina Faso, always used his winter vacations to travel and to learn more about the diversity of China.

In the previous two years, he had gone to Zhanjiang of Guangdong and Mianyang of Sichuan. This year, he headed for Shenyang, a northeastern city in frigid zone.

"I am eager to know more about the Chinese, especially to know how they get along with one another," he said.

Recalling red wrappings as one of his festival shocks in China, Issa said he was completely at a loss when he received the first red wrapping with cash in his life from his classmate's father in Zhanjiang.

When he was about to put down the red wrapping and leave, one of his friends stopped him and told him such a gift from the elder would invite good luck for youngsters. Happily he obeyed and received more at that Spring Festival.

Experts say the custom, at least 1,800 years old, conveys new year greetings and aims to protect youngsters from ill luck. It also makes children happy because they get red wrappings of pocket money from their parents, grandparents and other relatives.

Unlike Issa who is here for education, his brother Bachir Issa came to China for business. Normally, he would stay for two weeks at one time to procure goods in need back home.

When factories stopped production and trade centers closed however during the Spring Festival holiday, Bachir had to prolong his stay in China. "There is no way for me to place an order at the moment. But I get candies from Chinese friends. They say having candies will predicate a sweet life in the new year," said he with a broad smile.

A major distribution center for the Pearl River Delta which produces the goods much needed in Africa especially clothes and electric household appliances, Guangzhou has seen an influx of Africans since late 1990s.

The city now has 16 air flights to the African Continent per week, the highest among all Chinese cities.

Official figures from the provincial public security department showed that in 2008, about 80 percent of the 163,000 Africans with temporary residence in Guangdong live in the capital.

Trade volume between China and the Africa declined 15 percent to 91.07 billion U.S. dollars last year due to the global financial crisis. But through the longer time period from 2000 to 2008, Sino-African trade has maintained an annual growth rate of 30 percent.

Source: Xinhua