First Chinese gateway arch opens in Africa  

非洲豎起首座“中華牌樓” 南非總統出席剪彩儀式

南非最大城市約翰內斯堡東部的“德里克大街”，由于路邊擠著200多家大小不一的華人店鋪，又被稱為西羅町唐人街。街道最東段，嶄新的中式建筑前搭起兩個白色的篷子，南非總統祖馬正在臨時搭建的主席臺上發表講話。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- South African President Jacob Zuma on Friday attended a launching ceremony for a Chinatown gateway arch in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The arch, the first of its kind in Africa, is about 15 meters tall and 26 meters wide.

Located at Derrick Avenue, the arch marks Chinatown in both Chinese and English.

Featuring various shops including department stores, Chinese restaurants, drug stores, and hair salons, Chinatown is home to tens of thousands of Chinese.

At the launching ceremony, the president said that in the past two decades, the number of Chinese in South Africa has been growing.

The Chinese community has been playing an increasingly important role in promoting the development of South Africa, he added.

"The president's attendance at the launching ceremony demonstrates South African government's support and recognition toward the development of the Chinese community in the region," according to Zhu Qin, an official from the Chinese Embassy in South Africa.

"The arch symbolizes Chinese culture and the spirit of Chinese in South Africa," said Zhu, adding that it is also a reflection of the fruitful cooperation between China and South Africa in the past 15 years.