A spectacular display of Chinese cultural artistry stole the spotlight as Ghana and China celebrated the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
From opera and dance to thrilling performances, the evening’s showcase dazzled the audience, including the Diplomatic Corps, Ministers of State, Chinese business leaders, and the Chinese community in Ghana, demonstrating the depth of China’s cultural heritage.
The colourful reception at the Accra International Conference Centre, hosted by the Chinese Ambassador, Mr. Tong Defa and graced by Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, blended breathtaking cultural performances with strong reaffirmations of the enduring partnership between Accra and Beijing.
Guests were treated to a vibrant opening song, “Beautiful China”, performed by Li Jie, Kong Yimeng, and Ye Tuolim, with accompanying dancers who set a jubilant tone for the evening.
Liu Yang, a National First-Class Instrumentalist, and Ma Nana, a National Second-Class Instrumentalist, thrilled the audience with “Galloping War Horses,” an instrumental masterpiece delivered with their unit, the Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre.
The room gasped in wonder during the intangible cultural heritage performance of “Face Changing” (Bian Lian), where Sun Hao, a National Second-Class performer, left spectators spellbound with lightning-fast mask transformations.
Opera enthusiasts were not left out as Wei Yuyao, a National First-Class performer, led an ensemble in staging the Huangmei Opera excerpt “The Number One Scholar Returns Home,” alongside Zhu Weifang, Liu Yi, Luo Jingjing, Li Yingying, and Lou Ruohan.
The performance demonstrated the depth and richness of the Chinese operatic tradition.
Another performance that drew warm applause came from a joint troupe of Chinese and Ghanaian children under the Confucius Institute of the University of Ghana.
With youthful energy and innocent charm, they performed the song “We Love You, Our Motherland,” their voices rising in unison to celebrate unity and cultural friendship.
The sight of children from both nations singing together tugged at the hearts of the audience, symbolising the shared future that Ghana and China continue to nurture.
The evening’s crescendo came with “Rain in Jiangnan,” an awe-inspiring dance by Li Yingying, Liu Yi, Luo Jingjing, Zhu Yin, Peng Ru, Lou Ruohan, Zhou Zixi, and Sun Suling.
Their delicate movements, evoking the poetic beauty of southern China, earned resounding applause and standing ovations by the diplomatic corps, state officials, the leaders of Chinese businesses and the Chinese community in Ghana, among other dignitaries.
The performances, curated by the Anhui Performance and Arts Group in collaboration with Ghana’s Selamta Cultural Group, underscored the growing importance of cultural diplomacy in cementing people-to-people ties between Ghana and China.
But beyond the artistry, the evening was also marked by solemn reflections on more than six decades of diplomatic friendship and prospects for cooperation.
Vice President Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, speaking on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama and the people of Ghana, praised the relations as one of the most enduring diplomatic partnerships in Africa.
“Our relationship has survived many governments and generations because it is rooted in principles of mutual respect and shared development goals,” she said, recalling the foundation laid in 1960 by President Kwame Nkrumah and Chairman Mao Zedong.
The Vice President emphasised Ghana’s determination to ensure that cooperation with China translated into sustainable local development.
She pointed to the government’s 24-hour economy initiative, which seeks to expand job creation, exports, and industrial modernisation, and called for deeper collaboration with China in renewable energy, digital technology, and trade facilitation under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
She commended cultural and educational exchanges, including Confucius Institutes and Chinese medical missions in Ghana, stressing that people-to-people links must remain central.
“It doesn’t matter what everybody brings to the table, but every contribution must be respected,” the Vice President noted.
Ambassador Tong Defa, in his remarks, placed the bilateral relationship within a broader context of China’s global role, structuring his reflections around four symbolic numbers: 80, 76, 65, and 1.
The “80,” he explained, marked the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, which underlined the importance of global solidarity in defending peace.
The “76” represented China’s own remarkable development since 1949, including becoming the world’s second-largest economy and lifting nearly 99 million rural residents out of poverty.
The “65,” Ambassador Tong stressed, symbolised the warm and historic bond between China and Ghana, forged by early leaders and strengthened in recent years with the elevation of ties to a Strategic Partnership.
He highlighted China’s role as Ghana’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching 11.8 billion dollars in 2024, and Chinese investments spanning infrastructure, manufacturing, mining, aviation, green energy, and petroleum refining.
The final number, “1,” represented the first year of President Mahama’s new administration and the beginning of implementing outcomes from the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit.
He cited projects such as the Aflao market as tangible symbols of the deepening partnership.
Ambassador Tong reaffirmed China’s commitment to working with Ghana to uphold the interests of the Global South, strengthen multilateralism, and build an “all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future.”
“Looking ahead, the fertile soil of friendship awaits the nurturing of new buds. Together, we will continuously enrich the connotations of the China-Ghana Strategic Partnership and jointly begin a new historical chapter,” he said.
“Long live China, long live Ghana, and long live the China-Ghana friendship,” Ambassador Tong declared, to resounding cheers.
