First Chinese gateway arch opens in Africa  

非洲竖起首座“中华牌楼” 南非总统出席剪彩仪式

南非最大城市约翰内斯堡东部的“德里克大街”，由于路边挤着200多家大小不一的华人店铺，又被称为西罗町唐人街。街道最东段，崭新的中式建筑前搭起两个白色的篷子，南非总统祖马正在临时搭建的主席台上发表讲话。[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.