Debora Balatseng, Minister Plenipotentiary, South African Embassy speaks at the South African Open Day. (Photo via South African Embassy)

September marks the annual Heritage Month in South Africa. The theme for this year’s Heritage Month is ‘Reclaiming, restoring and celebrating our living heritage’. September is indeed a month of celebrations in South Africa because people are also celebrating Tourism Month.

This year’s South African Open day “Discover South Africa event” is very important for the celebration of the Heritage Month, and it was held by Embassy of South Africa from 7th to 8th September in Beijing. The key focus of the event was to provide a platform for importers of South African food and beverage products to showcase these products to Chinese guests. The event also provided an opportunity to showcase South African Culture and music.

Performance on the Open Day. (People's Daily Online/Wang Lei)

The main feature of this year’s event was the food festival. A South African Chef from the Pan Pacific Hotel named Freddy Whitehead dished up some scrumptious South African foods and deserts. Five winemakers were specially flown into China for this event.

One of the highlights of the event was the Rooibos tea products which has become very popular among both young and old in China. Kids were having a great time in the kid’s area, and there was also a class where a South African teacher taught the young guests about the country. Another feature of this year’s event was the Wine Master Class which was conducted by a local wine master, educating guests about South African wine.