As night fell, Tais, a student from the Republic of the Congo, was still outside enjoying an ice and snow festival. She was overjoyed as her friends had just won her a toy dog and rabbit in games set up in the snowfield.
"I have a lot of fun today and I also enjoyed my Spring Festival here very much. I know that just like a tiger, rabbit and dog are of the twelve animals in Chinese Zodiac, and I was born in the year of the rat," said the 26-year-old from Ningxia University, in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
Over 100 foreigners from different countries, including Tais, were invited to a tour featuring fun winter sports games, ice lanterns and many Chinese folk art shows in a resort near Yinchuan City.
"I always want to know more about China and Chinese culture, and it was really a good chance for me to do so," said Davies Munashe, a Zimbabwean student at Ningxia Medical University, dressed in bright red.
"Today I decided to dress in red; we just celebrated the Spring Festival and I'm still in the festival mood," said Munashe. "Red in China means happiness, success and good luck, so I think that red is the most appropriate color for today."
Holding on tight to his toy panda, Munashe could not be more excited. "Though I don't have a Bing Dwen Dwen, I think this panda does the job well to remind me and get me in touch with the Winter Olympics and what they are doing in Beijing. Right now, I feel part of it," he said.
According to Ma Siqin, vice general manager of the resort area, there are fun winter sports games, ice sculptures, ice lanterns and many other folk arts featured during the Spring Festival.
When the night sky was lit up by the blooming fireworks, many foreigners were mesmerized. "It was so beautiful, so bright and made everyone cheerful. I took a lot of videos. I must share the experience with my family," said Munashe.
Munashe also joined the crowd dancing around a campfire, as people of different ages and from different countries danced together to a variety of music. "At that moment, we were one happy family," he said.
"Culture has no boundaries. I think that the music united everyone," said Tais. "People in my country like singing and dancing, so this is my favorite part too, and I saw the great inclusiveness of China."
Living and working in China for nearly 20 years, Melissa Smith, an American teacher at Ningxia University, has a better understanding of the country. During this Spring Festival, she was again invited to a Chinese friend's home for a "family reunion."
"I'm very thankful for the wonderful friends that I have here to treat me like I'm part of their family," she said.
She stood under the giant city wall, gateway tower and many other typical Chinese buildings made of ice, which had been also lit up. "The scene was shining, and everything looks so beautiful in the dark," she said.
The sparkling ice sculptures also attracted Tais. "This artwork is new and amazing to me," she said, adding that she was looking forward to the Lantern Festival so that she could guess lantern riddles and eat delicious dumplings.
