Saturday September 30, 2023
The Chinese Embassy in Somalia on Thursday held a reception in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival by showcasing a Chinese science fiction movie, "Wandering Earth II."
Senior officials from the Somali government, local students, representatives of the Somalia-China Friendship Association and foreign missions in Mogadishu attended the reception and had the opportunity to watch the movie.
Nura Mustaf Mukhtar, state minister in Somalia's Ministry of Education, hailed China's support in strategic areas like education, research and skills upgrading among the youth.
"It is an honor for the ministry to take part in this Mid-Autumn Festival with the Chinese people, celebrating peace, prosperity and the harvest year for China," Mukhtar said, adding that China has provided scholarships to the top 10 students of the school year 2022-2023 to enable them to conduct research on outer space.
Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Fei Shengchao said the movie, adapted from the novel of the same name by Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin, tells the story of a world facing a crisis as the sun is about to run out of energy and explores humanity's efforts to save the Earth from the impending disaster.
"In order to save the Earth, people from around the world have united to overcome enormous and never-ending difficulties," Fei said.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, has been observed in China for thousands of years. It is usually marked by family reunions, a full moon viewing, and the consumption of mooncakes. It falls on Sept. 29 this year.