On February 4, the Chinese Embassy in Iceland held the “Warm Welcome to 2024 Chinese New Year” Reception and “Happy Spring Festival” Wu Opera Performance at Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre. Attending the event were Chairman Bjarni Jónsson of the Environment and Communications Committee Committee of Alþingi, Permanent Secretary Martin Eyjólfsson of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, and about 1000 other friends from all walks of life in Iceland including diplomatic communities in Iceland, overseas Chinese and students.

    Harpa specially light up its facade in bright red. The troupe of Zhejiang Wu Opera Art Research Institute performed excellent pieces such as Three Triumphs Over the Skeletal Demon and The Sedan Ride to receive loud applause. All proceeds of the ticket sale go to Grindavík, a city affected by the volcanic eruption.

    During the reception, Ambassador He Rulong offered everyone best wishes in the Chinese Lunar New Year of Dragon. He maintained that China’s economy still keeps a strong momentum of growth and China remains the largest driving force behind the world economic growth. Faced with the volcano-incurred disaster in Iceland, the Chinese people feel acutely the pain of Icelanders. China is ready to join hands with Iceland in building a community with a shared future for mankind and make steady progress in an all-round way so as to push China-Iceland relations to a new high.