Finland celebrated its 100th anniversary on December 6 around the world, and in Beijing, the celebration was held at the InterContinental Sanlitun Hotel with hundreds of guests, both Finnish and Finnish friends.
The Independence Day the reception is hosted Ambassador Jarno Syrjälä was the main event of Finland’s 100th anniversary in Beijing NS was one of the largest Independence Day celebrations held outside Finland. In total, there were almost 600 guests, including Finnish and Finnish companies in Beijing, Chinese stakeholders, foreign diplomats and military ombudsmen.
The theme of the event was winter, which is described by, among other things, the Finland 100 ice sculpture, winter campfire workers and a dance floor resembling a frozen lake. The visual design was done by Ivana Helsinki.
The evening’s program included a world-class program soprano DilbèrFinnish composer Sibelius’s Finlandia and Diamanten på Marssnön performance, choir of Chinese-speaking Chinese students on the performance of Finnish folk songs for Kallio Kukkula, appearance Santa Claus directly Korvatunturi, Finlandand Ambassador Syrjälä’s speech. The guest of honor was Deputy General Manager Zhu Jing from Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Finnish President also provided a video greeting, all this when guests can sit by the fire in a winter setting and enjoy Finnish delicacies.
Earlier on the morning of Independence Day, Santa Claus visited the Guang Ai Orphanage in northern Beijing and gave Christmas presents to the children as well as donations to the director of the center. During the day, Santa also visited Beijing Western Academy to meet Finnish students.
Later in the evening, the lucky winners received great prizes from sponsoring companies, and the Hunters created the atmosphere on the dance floor. FBCB would like to thank all the guests, sponsors, the embassy and the whole Team Finland for creating a memorable evening.
“We’re excited to have so many guests share a happy opportunity together.”
Sources: Finnish Works Council in Beijing; Embassy of Finland, Beijing
