Modern China was also showcased, with a green float illuminated to evoke the high-rises and smart buildings of Shenzhen.

"I'm proud to have a samba school feature China," Liao Si, a Chinese teacher living in Brazil who took part in a Carnival parade for the first time, told Xinhua.

Yang Xiang, a Chinese participant from Hunan province, said, "We are in a section representing the 56 ethnic groups to demonstrate the unity of China."

Yang got involved in the show after "the association of the Hunan community in Sao Paulo notified us that the Unidos de Vila Maria school was going to have a Chinese-themed carnival, so many of our compatriots came to take part," he said.