During October, the China Cultural Centre in Malta celebrated the Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, by launching a short video competition with the grand prize of flights to China, besides a photography exhibition and a number of online performances.

The Moon Festival traditionally falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar – the day the moon is believed to be at its fullest. It is the second most important festival in China and symbolises family reunion, peace and prosperity.

Its origins date back to more than 3,000 years ago when people began to worship the moon in hope that they would be rewarded with a good harvest.

Nowadays, it is customary for people to be together with family, light lanterns and exchange mooncakes with friends and fa­mily. Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, many families around the world could not celebrate the festival together. However, this only brought more meaning and depth to the festival because even if a person is unable to be with their family, they can still look up to the sky and gaze upon the same moon from the other side of the world, giving them the feeling of being together and connected all the same.

To look ahead into the hopefully not-so-distant future when Maltese and Chinese people can travel and visit each other’s countries again, the China Cultural Centre in Malta is collaborating with the Malta Tourism Authority to launch ‘Sharing Memories’, a short video competition whereby the winner will be awarded a prize of round-trip flights to China worth up to €1,500 which can be used when it is safer to travel.

To take part in this competition, entrants should submit a video of less than three minutes highlighting the culture or tourism of both China and Malta.

The competition is open to multiple styles of film, including narrative, documentary, animation or staged performances. Participants can film through a cinematic camera or  use their mobile phone, so long as the video engages viewers and communicates an interesting message about China and Malta. The video could be a means of sharing past experiences related to China or could bring to light better cultural understanding – the choice is open.

Sharing Memories is a short video competition which could land you a trip to China

The selection criteria are divided into two parts of equal weight – number of views gene­rated and video content.

Maltese citizens and foreigners residing in Malta are eligible to take part in this competition and win a trip of a lifetime to China.

The top videos will also be featured on the Facebook page of the China Cultural Centre in Malta as well as on Chinese social media platforms, such as WeChat.

The participant achieving second place will win a Chinese artisan handbag worth €500 and the winner of third place will be able to enjoy a Chinese cuisine experience worth €100. All participants will be presented a certificate and 10 contestants will be given a Chinese gift.

To apply to the ‘Sharing Memo­ries’ competition, contestants should upload their work on YouTube or Instagram, then send an e-mail to maltaccc@gmail.com with their full name, contact information, video, title, video description and video link.

Contestants should then share the video on Facebook and Instagram with the tags: @ChinaCultureCentreinMalta, #SharingMemoriesAShortVideoCompetition, #VistingChinaOnline and #VisitMalta.

The deadline for submission is December 31, 2020.

Winners will be contacted directly and announced on social media.

The Chinese Garden of Serenity in Santa Lucija captured by Stefan Stafrace.

Every year, the China Cultural Centre in Malta collaborates with Pjazza Teatru Rjal by inviting Chinese performing arts troupes to Malta to conduct a spectacular show.

The collaboration was held with the China Cultural Centre once again this year, providing Pjazza Teatru Rjal with a video of a culturally rich performance of song and dance by The China Oriental Performing Arts Group entitled Oriental Beauty in Blossom, which is available to stream on their Facebook and YouTube pages.

Moreover, an outdoor photography exhibition, entitled The Magnificent Nature of China, is now open to the public at Pjazza Teatru Rjal. China is home to vast, lush and wondrous natural landscapes that have been captured in this exhibition by a team of Chinese photographers. The collection of photographs is divided into 15 categories; mountains, lakes, deserts, Danxia landform, peak forests, yardangs, canyons, waterfalls, glaciers, forests, coasts, wetlands, caves, grasslands and islands.

It reveals the rich, diverse and epic land of China and may persuade visitors to adjust their bucket list.