In each April, Dutch Flower Parade has become the most expected event of Dutch local people and the millions of global tourists. This year’s flower parade is the 70th session  themed as “Dutch design”. The year of 2017 is also the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the ambassadorial level diplomatic relationship between China and the Netherlands.. Taking the advantages of China Cultural Center, Chinese side organized a series of Chinese cultural activities to participate the Dutch Flower Parade aiming to show the enchantment of Chinese culture and promote bilateral exchanges. 

On April 19th , “Flower Age——Chinese Art and Dutch Flower Decoration Exhibition” opened in Noordwijkerhout. The paintings and sculptures of three Netherlands-resided artists Zhou Yide , Xie Quanhua , Xie Yun  and the flower decorations from two Dutch artists are exhibited in the white church which has almost 400 years’ history. The painting and flower matched perfectly with each other, attracting hundreds of local audience just on the opening day. The mayor of Noordwijkershout expressed in the opening speech that he welcomes the communication between Chinese and Dutch artists in Noordwijkershout. The combination of the Dutch design and Chinese style are very magical. It is expected that there are more chances to hold such activities in the future.

On 22nd April, the Flower parade set off the journey from Noordwijk with 62 flower floats and cars in various sizes, and the marching music bands formed a long queue just like a floating garden zigzaging on the pathways of the flower fields. Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands Mr. Wu,Ken, Commissioner of South Holland province Mr. Jaap Smit, the mayor of Noorderwijk Mr. Jan Rijpstra, together with guests from USA and Malaysia cut the opening ribbon. Then the above-mentioned distinguished guests join more than ten thousand lcoal audiences to watch the flower parade at the start city. The organizer specially arranged the Chinese flower float following the Dutch-design theme one. Audiences surprisingly found out the images of a new pair of panda ambassadors which just arrived in the Netherlands- Wuwen and Xingya. On the Chinese float, the Xi Opera performers dressed themselves in typical Xi opera outfits. The flower float was surrounded by “Beautiful China——Chinese Minorities Costume” formation, and attracted loud applause along the way. The audiences could not wait to take pictures with the Chinese float. The mayor of Noordwijk said that, through this flower parade, the Netherlands showed its typical and unique Dutch design. While China not only brought in the dorable giant pandas which represent peace and friendship, but also demonstrated the achievements of new China and the image of Chinese culture. 

On  April 22nd and 23rd, two shows called “China Hour” were displayed on the seasdie outdoor stage in Noordwijk. Some Chinese traditional performances, such as Xi Opera, Tea Ceremony and Blue Fabric Handprint costume show, got on the stage one by one. Audiences not only can watch, but also can interact by trying on the clothes of Xi Opera, learning at the spot how to perform Xi Opera, and tasting Chinese Tea and typical snacks from Nan Tong, Jiangsu. On April 28th, Beijing Contemporary Dancing Troupe’s new show “A Dream Sequence” was held in the Nieuw Regents Theater successfully. The Dutch host expressed that it was the first time to see the Chinese contemporary dance in the Netherlands, hoping more cooperation and communications between two countries in the future.