CAIRO, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese New Year celebration for the Year of the Horse was held Tuesday at Ain Shams University in Cairo, bringing together Chinese teachers and Egyptian students for a festive showcase of cultural exchange and deepening friendship.

The event was attended by officials from Ain Shams University, including the dean of the Faculty of Al-Alsun (Languages) and the head of the faculty's Chinese department, alongside representatives from the Chinese embassy in Cairo and both the Egyptian and Chinese directors of the Confucius Institute.

Addressing the gathering, Nasser Abdel-Aal, the Egyptian director of the institute, underlined the deeper meaning and "special significance" of this year's celebration, which coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Egyptian-Chinese diplomatic ties.

He said Egyptian students learning Chinese play an important role in strengthening mutual understanding between the two countries, describing them as "standing on one of the most important global platforms -- the platform of understanding China."

The celebration began with a group of Chinese teachers performing the song "Friends Like You," as hundreds of Egyptian students in the audience joined in singing.

"We are not only teachers who teach Chinese but we gradually become friends with our students," Yuan Xi, a Chinese teacher at the Confucius Institute of Ain Shams University, told Xinhua.

She added that hosting the Chinese New Year celebration in Egypt helps share Chinese culture and deepen the bond between the two nations.

"The students are not only learning the language, but also learning a different culture and making Chinese friends," said the Chinese teacher.

Other performances included Chinese poetry recitals, martial arts demonstrations, and humorous sketches depicting student life in Egypt. Two Egyptian students also performed a traditional Chinese dance.

"Studying Chinese is not an end. We also learn about the culture and the people. The more we learn, the more we love it. It's a very enjoyable experience," Knooz Mostafa, an Egyptian student who participated in the performance and previously studied in China, told Xinhua.