Lunar New Year: Cultures of China, Festival of Spring - held in Christchurch
On February 7, the “Cultures of China, Festival of Spring” performance was held in the Royal Issac Theatre in Christchurch. Along with over a thousand overseas Chinese, those who attended included Chinese Consul General in Christchurch Jin Zhijian, Labour MP Megan Woods, Mayor David Ayers of Waimakariri District, Mayor Donna Favel of Ashburton District, Mayor Winton Dally of Hurunui District, and Christchurch City Councillor Jimmy Chen.
Chinese Consul General in Christchurch Jin Zhijian, with Labour MP Megan Woods (in centre)
During the two and half hour performance, 40 artists presented more than 20 programmes. Most notable among those were the “Face Changing” act of Sichuan Opera, the acrobatic “Balancing on Pipes” act, and singing performances by Yang Hongji and Yin Xiumei.
Consul General Jin in his remarks expressed warm welcome to the art troupe, which came all the way from China to perform. “Culture serves as a spiritual bond among Chinese worldwide, and is also the bridge of understanding and friendship linking different countries and ethnicities. Today's performance concludes the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Christchurch. I wish you all an auspicious Year of the Rooster.”
Labour MP Megan Woods in her remarks appreciated the harmony among multi-ethnicities in Christchurch and the important contributions made by the Chinese communities to the cultural diversity of the city. She also conveyed the Lunar New Year greeting by Labour Party Leader Andrew Little to the audience.
Meanwhile, Liu Jikun, head of the art troupe, informed, “Since 2009, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council of China has dispatched 'Cultures of China, Festival of Spring' art troupes to various places worldwide during spring festival seasons. This is being done to showcase the Chinese culture to the world, as well as send good wishes to the overseas Chinese community.”
The evening ended with Hu Anqi, head of the New Zealand North South Business Inc. and the coordinator of the performance, thanking the art troupe for their visit and all the volunteers for their contributions.
- The above story and pictures are courtesy the Chinese Consulate in Christchurch.
