Starting with the Chinese Zodiac
Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Liu Jinsong
At the 32nd Panda Competition Awards Ceremony
[On November 3, 2026, Ambassador Liu Jinsong attended the 32nd Panda Competition Awards Ceremony held at the Chinese Embassy in Australia and delivered the following remarks:]
Respected President of ACFS ACT branch Ms. Carol Keil,
Respected principal of Canberra High School Ms. Estelle Gillingham
Distinguished guests,
Dear young friends,
Good Day!
Welcome to the Chinese Embassy, and thank you for attending this year’s Panda Competition Awards Ceremony,themed around the Chinese Zodiac.
Let me start with a question for our young friends: do you know which zodiac sign you are? Raise your hand if you were born in the Year of the Rat! The Ox? The Tiger?（Some students raised their hands.）
Now another question: anyone here born in the Year of the Kangaroo? Or the Koala?(Laughter)
No? Well, it seems the Chinese Zodiac might need to save a “special seat” for the Aussie animals! Or maybe our Australian friends could make a zodiac of their own — including the Tasmanian Devil.(Laughter)
In China, there’s a fun folk saying about the zodiac: some signs are just born to quarrel. Which two? The Rooster and the Dog. Why? Because the rooster wakes you up every morning, and the dog keeps you awake every night. That's a 24-hour alarm system!(Laughter)
A small question opens a window into Chinese culture.
The Chinese use twelve animals to mark the years, and give each one rich, beautiful meanings. The Mouse stands for wisdom, the Ox for diligence, the Tiger for courage, the Rabbit for gentleness, the Dragon for good fortune. The beauty of the zodiac is that it never asks all animals to look the same. Cleverness, steady hard work, bravery, calm gentleness and dialectical complementarity — together they make a complete world.
And the twelve-year cycle makes the zodiac a cultural bond between generations. A grandparent and a grandchild may feel the attachment due to sharing the same zodiac sign. In this way, the Chinese have written their observations of nature, their love of life, and their hopes for good things into the markings of time.
When civilizations live in harmony, the world is at peace.
As President Xi Jinping stated, Chinese civilization has been known for openness and inclusiveness since ancient times, and gains new vitality through exchanges and mutual learning with other civilizations. The Book of Rites also says, all living things can be nourished without injuring one another, and all roads can run parallel without overrunning into each other. Rooted in China’s fine traditional culture and growing through Chinese modernization, Chinese civilization is open to other civilizations — it learns from them, and offers inspiration in return.
What's interesting is that some of China’s neighbors also have zodiac traditions. In Vietnam, the rabbit’s place is taken by the cat; in Japan, the domestic pig becomes a wild boar. (Laughter)
This Chinese New Year, Sydney’s Chinatown welcomed a “Fire Horse” full of modern artistic flair — traditional zodiac imagery stepping into Australian city life in a new form.
Civilization endures through inheritance and flourishes through exchange. It crosses barriers of language and geography in one encounter after another, and gains new understanding through dialogue between different civilizations.
This September, the China National Theatre for Children brought its stage production The Twelve Zodiac Signs to Sydney. Australian directors and Chinese artists worked together, using puppetry, music, dance, and visual art to create stage expressions that go beyond language and cultural differences.
Today, we are delighted to see that this creativity is once again brought to life through the joint efforts of Chinese and Australian youth.
Some have portrayed the zodiac animals with traditional techniques, some have brought in Australia’s natural scenery, and others have used bold imagination to give ancient images entirely new colors. Among today’s works, who knows — we might even find that kangaroo who has always wanted to join the zodiac!
Today, we will present awards for the outstanding works. I believe every single piece of work deserves to be appreciated and cherished— works may vary in size, but creativity knows no bounds; countries may be near or far, yet friendship knows no distance.
And that is what makes the Panda Competition so heartwarming.
Dear young friends,
Today we began with the Chinese Zodiac. Twelve animals, each with its own temperament, each with its own brilliance, together forming a rich and vivid world.
Isn’t it the same with civilizations?
As a Chinese saying goes, all civilizations can appreciate each other’s beauty while valuing their own and achieve common development. The beauty of civilization lies in each having its own grace; the vitality of civilization lies in shining together. Coming from the depths of history and growing toward the future, Chinese civilization — with more than five thousand years of heritage — has always kept pace with the times and embraced the world. The recently concluded the 5th Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China requires all Party members to tap into and leverage the moral principles embedded in fine traditional Chinese culture—including valuing loyalty and trustworthiness, honoring moral integrity, cultivating a sense of honor and shame, maintaining awe and vigilance, and emphasizing self-reflection—so as to foster deep dedication to both the family and the country, and cultivate a noble spirit of righteousness.
May we use culture as our bridge and friendship as our boat — clearing away barriers through exchange, deepening understanding through mutual learning, and building consensus through closer ties — to create a bright future of closer understanding and friendly ties between the peoples of China and Australia.
With the Year of the Horse halfway through, I wish all the young friends here today: May your youthful spirit gallop across a thousand miles; may the torch of civilization be passed from generation to generation; and may the world we share enjoy harmony and coexistence, with all beauty shared!
Thank you.
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The "Panda Competition" is a handicraft contest organized annually by the Australia-China Friendship Society (ACFS) ACT Branch since 1995, aiming to encourage young people aged 4 to 17 to explore Chinese culture and history. Focused on this year's theme, "The Chinese Zodiac," the event received 750 entries—double the total from last year—with nearly 70 students receiving awards. Carol Keil, President of the ACFS ACT Branch, joined over 170 guests, including principals, teachers, and parents from more than ten local schools, to celebrate the achievement at the award ceremony.