SURABAYA, Indonesia, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese cultural mission made its first leg of their Indonesia tour in the capital of East Java province here on Monday, performing various performances to promote cultural relations between China and Indonesia to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.

"The Festival of Spring show here is to extend the Chinese New Year celebration to the Indonesian people. May this cultural exchange advance further and bring benefits to the two countries," Chinese Consul General in Surabaya Gu Jingqi said in his remarks to open the Chinese cultural show held in a lavish hotel here.

He added that the exchange of people between China and Indonesia has been increasing in the last few years. The increasing visit of Chinese tourists to Indonesia during the New Year holiday has also nurtured friendship between the people of the two nations and benefit Indonesia's economy, he added.

He expected the show would also make the Chinese nationals working and studying in Surabaya feel like celebrating the Lunar New Year at home.

The Festival of Spring art troupe arrived in Surabaya after its performance in Japan's cities of Tokyo, Fukuoka and Nagoya. After the show in Surabaya, the troupe will perform in Medan, the capital of Indonesia's North Sumatra province.