People's Daily Online, London, January 30 (Yu Ying, Xing Xue, Zhou Zhuobin) The 2024 British New Year activities are full of drama and excitement. On January 30, the Year of the Dragon "Happy New Year" project sharing session and launching ceremony was held at the Cultural Office of the Chinese Embassy in the UK. Representatives from more than 20 local event organizers, including the Science Museum, Burlington Arcade, London Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, Jersey City**, Edinburgh Tourism Board, Eurasian Exchange Association, China-UK International Festival, China Banner Manufacturing, British Institute of Chinese Traditional Culture, and the "*People in the UK" organization, attended the event.
The scene of the event. Photo by People's Daily Xing Xue.
Two national intangible cultural heritage made a wonderful appearance, and Britain shined.
Zhao Fei, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, said in his speech at the sharing meeting that the brand of "Happy New Year" has become a grand event to spread the excellent traditional Chinese culture and carry out exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations, and the British "Happy New Year" activity has been recognized by more and more people in the UK with the concept of hope, family, harmony and health, and deepened the mutual understanding between the Chinese and British people. At the event, Minister Zhao Fei and Paul Milbank, Director of the Arts Bureau of Jersey, jointly put the finishing touches on Tonglianglong and announced the launch of the 2024 "Happy New Year" event in the United Kingdom.
Li Liyan, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, introduced that this year's "Happy New Year" domestic art troupes in the UK have visited the UK more actively, local institutions have been more enthusiastic about hosting Spring Festival celebrations, and the elements of cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and the UK have become more prominent.
Most notably, two of China's national intangible cultural heritages, the Chongqing Tongliang Dragon Dance and the Guangdong Puning Ying Song and Dance, will be staged in London, showcasing dance, drama and martial arts, as well as ethnic costumes, traditional handicrafts and folk culture from different regions of China. On 11 February, 16 outstanding British singers and dancers from Puning, Guangdong Province, will take to the stage of London's "Spring Festival", the largest Chinese New Year celebration outside Asia, to bring a wonderful British song and dance to the British people in Trafalgar Square, showcasing the characteristics of the Chaoshan region. As a representative of Chinese New Year folk culture, Chongqing Tongliang Dragon will present a dragon dance performance for the British audience by participating in a series of activities such as the "London Eye" lighting ceremony, the Chinese New Year Parade of the London Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, and the New Year celebration in Trafalgar Square, showcasing the charm of Chinese culture and the cultural characteristics of Chongqing.
As an important sub-brand of the "Happy New Year's Eve" event, "Walking Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner" has been successfully held in more than 20 countries since 2016, and in 2024, the Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner with a strong New Year flavor will continue to fragrance London, this time it will invite 6 famous Cantonese chefs from Shenzhen Cuisine Association to join, hold a tasting session at the Rokia Ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel, and hold a Cantonese cuisine master class at Bristol City College to teach classic Cantonese cooking methods to the school's culinary students, and invite guests to taste Spring Festival cuisine. London's Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant Hakkasan is also launching a limited-edition Year of the Dragon menu and cocktails this year, with a refreshing array of celebratory dishes that incorporate dragon elements, such as "Lucky Dragon Zhaoxiang", "Dragon Horse Spirit" and "Golden Dragon Xianrui".
The scene of the event. Photo by People's Daily Xing Xue.
Radiate to many places in the UK to convey New Year's blessings.
This year, the "Happy New Year" event in the United Kingdom will continue to create a "London+" model, with London as the center, covering Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Jersey, Manchester, Sheffield, Macclesfield and many places, through the wonderful "Happy New Year" activities, to celebrate the Year of the Dragon and share Chinese culture with the British people.
According to reports, the "Gathering Treasures of Time - Sino-British Watch Skills Exchange Exhibition" will be held at the Science Museum from February 1 to June 2 this year, with a total of 23 pieces of clock collections from the Palace Museum on display, which is also the first time that the Palace Museum watch collection has been exhibited in the UK. On 3 February, the National Maritime Museum will host a spectacular New Year's celebration. The Royal Observatory Greenwich will also host a "Chinese Astronomy" performance on February 3 and 10 to discuss ancient and modern Chinese astronomy.
As the highlight of the 6th China-Britain International Festival 2024, many performances such as Ruan Minh Yuan's accordion meeting, Yang Yue's erhu lecture, and award ceremony will be staged during the Spring Festival. Founded by British pianist Xiao Di, Xiao Di will join hands with the famous British conductor Daniel Rossine and the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra to present the majestic "Yellow River" piano concerto for Chinese and foreign audiences.
This year marks the sixth year of the Chinese New Year celebrations in Edinburgh. From February 3rd to 24th, the British public can experience the lively Chinese New Year in Edinburgh, such as the Chinese New Year Meeting, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Edinburgh Oriental Arts Troupe Square Performance, the St. James Square Lion Dance Performance, the Whisky Tasting Tour, the Bilingual Kelly Ball and other activities, which will allow the public to experience the beauty of traditional Chinese culture and the joy of the New Year.
Following the success of Jersey City**'s first-ever Chinese New Year celebration in 2023, Jersey will once again host a 15-day Chinese New Year celebration, with a specially designed activity booklet for children to enhance their understanding of the Chinese New Year in a fun and educational way. In addition, on 17 and 18 February, the Bristol Museum will host the largest Chinese New Year celebration in the Southwest, where visitors can enjoy Chinese songs, dances, martial arts performances and experience traditional Chinese crafts.