Mauritian President Anerood Jugnauth and his wife joined the Chinese community Thursday night in celebrating the Chinese traditional Spring Festival that fell on Wednesday.

The president was very pleased to watch dancing, singing and acrobatic playing by actors, singers and dancers from China's southern province of Yunnan, who arrived here on Tuesday specially for the Chinese new year celebrations.

Accompanied by Mahendra Gowressoo, the Minister of Arts and Culture, Tang Wah Hing, the Minister of Youth and Sports, and other senior government officials as well as Chinese Ambassador to Mauritius, Gao Yuchen, Jugnauth and his wife seemed to have enjoyed the show in high spirits together with some 1000 audiences.

In his opening address, Mahendra Gowressoo said that the Chinese community is a very important element in the development of Mauritius' multi-cultural society.

The Indian Ocean island country is only one among African nations which declared Chinese Spring Festival as a national holiday together with Christmas and Dewali, the most important festival in India.

"The whole nation shared the happiness and pleasure with the Chinese community in celebrating the year of Rat, which symbolizes a good beginning and lucky," the minister said.

Pei Fang Chu Ching Kow, President of Spring Festival Committee under the Federation of Chinese Societies, Mauritian Minister of Youth and Sports, Tang Wah Hing, and Chinese Ambassador to the country, Gao Yuchen, also addressed the opening ceremony.

Actors, singers and dancers from the Yunnan Art Group, showed their talents and skills, winning loud applauds from the audience during their show.

Dancers and Chinese wushu players from the Chinese Cultural Center also gave their showed at the stage.

(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2008)