Spring Fair and World Tai Chi Day Celebrated at Malta’s Chinese Garden, Cultural Festivities Bloom at Malta’s Garden of Serenity
Children participated in the annual “Spring Fair” held on April 27, 2025, at the Garden of Serenity in Santa Lucija, Malta. The event, celebrating World Tai Chi Day, featured Chinese cultural activities including tea tasting, calligraphy, traditional medicine, music, dance, and Tai Chi performances.
Co-hosted by the China Cultural Centre in Malta and the Santa Lucija local council, the fair highlighted growing cultural ties between China and Malta. Mayor Charmaine St John praised the long-standing collaboration and expressed hope for continued exchanges.
Tai Chi demonstrations by local and Chinese groups drew crowds, while students from St Ignatius College performed traditional Chinese music under artist Guo Mei’s guidance. Attendees also engaged in calligraphy and expressed interest in learning more about Chinese culture.
The fair served as a platform for cultural dialogue and deeper mutual appreciation, said Yuan Yuan, director of the China Cultural Centre.
Ancient Movements, Mediterranean Calm: Tai Chi in Malta
Under the warm Maltese sun on April 27, 2025, members of the 20th Chinese medical team from the Mediterranean Regional Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine gracefully performed Tai Chi at the tranquil Garden of Serenity in Santa Lucija. Dressed in flowing traditional attire, their slow, harmonious movements echoed centuries of Chinese culture, captivating onlookers with a living display of balance, wellness, and inner peace in this peaceful Mediterranean setting.
Eastern Hues: A Musical Bridge Between China and Malta
On April 11, in the heart of Gozo and under the cultural spotlight of the 17th Gaulitana Music Festival, the enchanting sounds of the East resonated through the concert hall as renowned Chinese Pipa virtuoso Guo Mei took to the stage for her solo performance titled Eastern Hues. Organized in collaboration with the China Cultural Centre in Malta, the concert served as a beautiful celebration of cultural exchange through music.
With elegance and precision, Guo Mei brought to life the soul of the Pipa—one of China’s oldest and most expressive string instruments—its delicate tones rippling through the air like flowing water. Her masterful performance captivated the audience from the very first note, weaving together the ancient musical traditions of China with a modern global sensibility. Among the carefully chosen repertoire were celebrated Chinese classical works such as Spring on Moonlit River, Dragon Boat, Empty Sound, and the vibrant Dance Song of Yi Ethnic Minority, each evoking the landscapes, rhythms, and emotions of Chinese heritage.
What made the evening especially memorable was Guo Mei’s heartfelt inclusion of two contemporary Maltese pieces, a gesture that surprised and deeply moved the local audience. The blending of Maltese melodies with the distinctive timbre of the Pipa created a rare and beautiful harmony between East and West, symbolizing the bridging of cultures through shared artistic expression.
By the end of the concert, the audience was left not only entertained but profoundly touched—having experienced a journey that transcended language, geography, and tradition. Guo Mei’s performance was more than a concert; it was a meeting point of musical worlds, gracefully brought together through the universal language of music.
