刘晓明大使在伦敦春节庆祝活动上的讲话
Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming at the Chinese New Year Celebrations in London
2012年1月29日，伦敦特拉法加广场
Trafalgar Square, 29 January 2012
尊敬的伦敦市市长约翰逊先生 ，
尊敬的西敏寺市市长伯布里奇女士，
尊敬的伦敦华埠商会主席邓柱廷先生，
尊敬的伦敦华埠商会会长谢贵全先生，
各位来宾，
女士们、先生们，
朋友们：
Mayor Boris Johnson,
Lord Mayor Susie Burbridge,
Mr. Chu Ting Tang,
Mr. Stanley Tse,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
首先，我谨代表中国驻英国大使馆向各位嘉宾和朋友们拜年！
I extend very warm Chinese New Year greetings to you all on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in the UK.
春节是中华民族最重要的传统节日，已有二千多年的历史，它是辞旧迎新、家庭团聚、憧憬未来的美好时刻。
今天，春节已经走出中国，越来越受到世界各国人民的喜爱。人们喜爱春节，因为春节预示着欣欣向荣的春天即将来临，寄寓着人们对幸福生活的向往；人们喜爱春节，因为春节包含着中国文化的深厚积淀，体现着中国人“天人合一”的思想理念；人们喜爱春节，因为春节热闹非凡，丰富多彩，人们在喜气洋洋的氛围中感到快乐，同时把好运带回家。
The Chinese New Year or Spring Festival has been the most important time in the Chinese calendar for over two thousand years.
In the past decade the celebration of Spring Festival has spread far beyond China’s borders.
This means that what matters so much to the Chinese people is gaining wider popularity around the world.
That is happening as the Chinese values of Spring Festival have universal appeal:
· Spring Festival is when we reunite with our families.
· It is in our nature to mark the end of one year and the beginning of another.
· From the cold and dark of winter it is natural to anticipate the light, warmth and blooming of spring.
· It is a time to look to the future with joy and optimism.
· For us Chinese people it is also a time when our culture celebrates the harmony between man and nature.
