As the Spring Festival arrives, families across China reunite in celebration. This festive spirit also travels far beyond the country’s borders, reaching multiple time zones. During this special holiday, CHN Energy’s employees working abroad celebrated the festival with different cultural activities rich in Chinese traditions, fostering meaningful connections among colleagues of different backgrounds and bringing warmth to workplaces around the world.
South Africa: Chinese Red in midsummer
February marks the height of summer in Cape Town, but the offices of Longyuan South Africa Renewables are decorated in vibrant Chinese red. Bright Spring Festival couplets and intricate paper-cut decorations add a festive and welcoming atmosphere.
On the eve of the Spring Festival, Senior Finance Manager Naazneen Abdul Karim joined her Chinese colleagues in decorating the office. As they pasted couplets and paper-cuttings and chatted about the Chinese zodiac, her coworkers explained the meanings behind each tradition. Nazneen listened attentively and asked questions about the characteristics associated with different zodiac signs.
Naazneen Abdul Karim pastes a paper-cut decoration on the window
While putting up the Spring Festival couplets, Liu Lei, director of the Safety and Production Department, explained that they represent hopes and blessings for the coming year, while paper-cut decorations symbolize happiness and good fortune. Nazneen remarked with a smile that although customs differ across cultures, she could feel the sincerity behind the traditions. She compared the Spring Festival to Christmas in South Africa, noting that both holidays emphasize family reunion and shared warmth.
Liu Lei introduces Spring Festival couplets and traditional Chinese culture to Nazneen
After more than two years with the company, Nazneen has become an integral part of the multicultural team. She said her Chinese colleagues’ professionalism and strong sense of responsibility have inspired her own development. “Their attention to detail and dedication have greatly supported my personal career growth,” she said.
Over the past decade, Longyuan Power has used clean energy projects as a bridge to bring technology, expertise and employment opportunities to local communities in South Africa. The De Aar Wind Power Project has contributed to optimizing the country’s energy structure and advancing its green transition, while also supporting local job creation and talent development.
A panoramic view of the De Aar Wind Power Project in South Africa
Greece: dumplings by the Aegean Sea
In Athens, the Greece-based team of Guohua Investment China Energy Europe Renewable Energy S.A. marked the Spring Festival with festive celebrations. Lanterns and red couplets decorated the office, creating a joyful holiday atmosphere. On the eve of the festival, two Greek colleagues deliberately donned red ties and scarves as they joined their Chinese coworkers in decorating the space and preparing ingredients, celebrating the New Year with enthusiasm and care.
Staff hangs lanterns and pastes Spring Festival couplets in the office area
Making dumplings quickly became the highlight of the celebration. To accommodate vegetarian preferences, the team prepared tofu fillings. The Greek colleagues were delighted , noting that the traditional Greek pastry Sfakianopita also uses cheese filling. Soon, dumplings representing different Chinese regional styles and Greek-inspired variations were shared together, creating a lively cross-cultural culinary exchange.
Coincidentally, the company’s partner, the Copelouzos Group, was holding its own celebration in the same building that day. The two sides exchanged cakes and dumplings and shared holiday wishes. Both cultures’ tradition of hiding coins in festive food symbolizing good fortune sparked enthusiastic conversation.
Chinese and Greek colleagues making dumplings together
Meanwhile, engineers who were conducting inspections at the Thrace Wind Farm in northern Greece, sent photos and greetings from the site, sharing their holiday wishes from the front line.
As the first new energy project invested in Greece by a Chinese enterprise, the Thrace Wind Power Project has a total installed capacity of approximately 78.2 megawatts. Since commencing operation in 2019, it has generated about 160 million kilowatt-hours electricity annually, supplying power to around 30,000 households and serving as an important example of China-Greece green cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Amid the festive moments of posting couplets and making dumplings, cultural exchange becomes something real and tangible—seen in colleagues learning each other’s languages, sharing traditions, and working together to deliver clean energy to thousands of homes.
Engineers inspecting wind turbines on site
Indonesia: Reunion in power plants
From Jakarta to Serang, from Java to South Sumatra, CHN Energy’s subsidiaries in Indonesia celebrated the Spring Festival in their own ways. Red lanterns decorated plant areas, Spring Festival couplets adorned entrances, and employees gathered to make dumplings while power units continued operating steadily in the background.
At PT Meulaboh Power Generation, Chinese and Indonesian employees worked together to decorate the workplace. Local colleagues carefully posted the Chinese character “Fu,” symbolizing good fortune. Upon learning that placing it upside down represents the arrival of blessings, many took photos to share with their families.
Employees at PT Meulaboh Power Generation posting Spring Festival couplets
On New Year’s Eve, the atmosphere at the South Sumatra company was especially lively. Chinese and Indonesian employees gathered in the cafeteria to prepare dumplings together. Chinese employees patiently demonstrated pleating techniques. Though the dumplings took on different shapes, everyone remained fully engaged. Despite language differences, smiles and teamwork bridged any gaps.
Employees and their families at the South Sumatra company making dumplings
At SGPJB, employees’ families were invited to celebrate together. Children dressed in festive red clothing played in the corridors, and a gala performance brought Chinese and Indonesian employees onto the same stage.
Indonesian employee Xiumei has celebrated eight Spring Festivals at the power plant. Over time, she has grown from feeling nervous on stage to confidently hosting events in both Chinese and Indonesian, helping deepen cultural understanding. During one performance, she said emotionally, “Standing here on New Year’s Eve, this is home.”
Scene from the SGPJB Spring Festival gala
Beyond the festivities, some employees stayed at their posts to keep operations running smoothly. As the celebration continued, production staff remained focused on their duties. An outreach team brought freshly cooked beef dumplings to the central control room, where Shift Supervisor Yang Shousheng was monitoring system data. After a quick meal, he returned to his station. During the Spring Festival, electricity demand reaches one of its annual peaks, making reliable power supply especially critical. In the control room, screens continued to update, reflecting the steady work behind the scenes.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of CHN Energy’s development in Indonesia. Over two decades, the company has expanded its operations while building a strong local workforce. Increasing numbers of Indonesian employees now serve in technical and management roles, while Chinese and Indonesian colleagues continue to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship.
Germany: two languages, one celebration
At CHN Energy Europe Research GMBH in central Berlin, the spirit of the Spring Festival began one afternoon with the posting of a pair of traditional red couplets.
Standing at the entrance, a blond, blue-eyed German colleague carefully smoothed the red paper and softly read the lines in fluent Chinese. His name is Martin Bürger, known by his Chinese name Chen Yu. Although this was his first time celebrating the Spring Festival at the research center, his connection with China dates back more than a decade.
As a high school exchange student in Nanjing, he was given the Chinese name Chen Yu, an experience that sparked his lasting interest in Chinese culture. He later chose to major in Business Chinese and is now widely regarded within the team as a “China expert.”
Employees at the GMBH post Spring Festival couplets.
On Chinese New Year’s Eve, the research center’s open kitchen was filled with laughter and activity. The Spring Festival Gala played on television as Chinese and international employees gathered to roll dough, prepare fillings and make dumplings together. Chen Yu rolled up his sleeves and worked skillfully. He said he learned his dumpling-making techniques from his host mother in Nanjing, who taught him hands-on. “Be generous with the filling, but pay attention to the details,” he recalled. Amid laughter and playful debate—even over whether eighteen pleats make a dumpling or a bun—the kitchen buzzed with joy.
Employees at the GMBH make dumplings together.
As a key member of the research center’s project management and external communications team, Chen Yu brings together German precision and a strong understanding of Chinese business culture. He ensures procedures run smoothly while also helping facilitate effective communication with Chinese partners, playing an important role in international collaboration.
During this year’s Spring Festival, Chinese employees from the research center also attended a New Year celebration hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Germany. Lion dances, traditional music and dance performances created a festive atmosphere, blending Chinese and German cultural elements. Attendees exchanged greetings, took photos and shared their hopes for continued cooperation and friendship.
CHN Energy Europe Research GMBH
Since its establishment three years ago, CHN Energy Europe Research GMBH has grown from initial planning to full operation, with its team steadily expanding. Close collaboration between Chinese and German employees has strengthened mutual understanding and cultural exchange. Together, they have achieved significant progress in technological innovation, joint laboratory development and knowledge sharing.
From wind farms at the Cape of Good Hope to the shores of the Aegean Sea, from power plants along the equator to research centers in Berlin, the vibrant red of the Spring Festival has brought warmth to CHN Energy’s workplaces around the world, reflecting the strong connections built through cooperation and cultural exchange.
Across distances and time zones, shared traditions continue to bring people closer together. For employees working far from home, the Spring Festival is not only a reminder of their roots, but also a celebration shared with colleagues across cultures.
As the new year begins, they move forward together with renewed confidence and a shared commitment to building a brighter future.
