Gwadar Port (People’s Daily) – More people have been observing the Mid-Autumn Festival in Gwadar, Pakistan in the past two years.

Mid-Autumn Festival sports games in Gwadar Port on October 4, 2017. More than 80 employees from China and Pakistan register. The winning employees receive souvenirs after the game. (Photos: courtesy of China Overseas Port Holdings Co)

At traditional Chinese festivals such as Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival, Pakistani employees actively participate, Shang Fei, deputy general manager of Gwadar International Terminal Co, told the People’s Daily on Sunday. 

“Local employees not only perform on stage, but also decorate the park with their Chinese colleagues,” Shang said. 

The festive atmosphere in Gwadar Port is rather strong with the theme colors of red and green, Shang added. “Green is one of the colors of the Pakistani flag and national emblem, and a popular color among the Pakistani people. Therefore, every holiday, Pakistani employees would bring their favorite green flags, lanterns and other accessories to decorate the entire park in the port. Gradually, this has become a unique holiday symbol of Gwadar Port,” Shang said. 

In 2015, when Shang was assigned to the Gwadar Port, there were a few Chinese employees. The team observed the Mid-Autumn Festival for the first time in Gwadar Port. Though mooncakes were not served, hundreds of local employees enjoyed Chapati (a thin cake in Pakistan) together. It was then that the local people began to understand the traditional Chinese reunion festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival has gradually become an important festival in Gwadar Port.

"Pakistan people are good at singing and dancing. In the past two years at our holiday parties, whenever there is a singing performance, the Pakistani staff often spontaneously danced on stage, not only inspiring the atmosphere of the scene, but also letting us feel the bonds of brotherhood," Shang said. 

This year, Gwadar Port will observe both Mid-Autumn Festival and China’s National Day on September 28 during the Gwadar Marbles and Minerals Expo 2018.

Zhang Baozhong, Chairman of the China Overseas Port Holdings Co, said that the Chinese staff will present chorus and dance performances in Gwadar Port, while the Pakistani employees will sing and dance. 

Mid-Autumn Festival sports games in Gwadar Port on October 4, 2017. More than 80 employees from China and Pakistan register. Two Pakistani employees participate in the Funny Penalty Shootout.

In addition to the cultural evenings, Gwadar Port also hosts group activities such as tug-of-war and fun games.

Gwadar Port staff start to prepare the dinner at around 4:30pm right after the group activities. “We hope to have a meal with the family far away in China, so it can be regarded as a kind of reunion,” Zhang said. 

"More importantly, Chinese staff make a video call to their families to send greetings. With support facilities in Gwadar Port gradually improving, such as water, electricity and network, our connectivity with the family is closer," noted Hu Yaozong, deputy general manager of the Gwadar Free Zone Company.

Gwadar Port used to be a small fishing village, but has gradually become a pearl in the Belt and Road. At the beginning of this year, the Gwadar Free Zone officially opened and successfully hosted the first session of the Gwadar International Commodity Fair. 

The Free Zone has welcomed more than 20 companies from China and Pakistan, including banking, insurance, logistics, grain and oil processing, fish processing, and home appliance assembly, with direct investments exceeding 3 billion yuan ($437.8 million).

A group of “white angels” are working hard behind the screen of prosperous Gwadar Port.

In May, the second batch of the Chinese Red Cross medical aid team arrived in Gwadar Port. The team consisted of staff from the Huashan Hospital, Beijing Red Cross Society 999 Emergency Center, Fudan University Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital and coordinators from the China Red Cross Foundation. 

The nine team members in the medical team work six days a week, and treat an average of 200 patients per month.

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival coincides with the final phase of the preparations for the expo. During the events, thousands of exhibitors will arrive at Gwadar Port. The medical team will also handle the medical healthcare work during the expo.

Medical team head Hu Hong said that it may be difficult to have time to prepare dumplings during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, but he and the team members are still looking forward to the celebration.

(Compiled by Dong Feng)