Art, music and pork for Chinese New Year

The fifth annual Fish and Dragon festival which celebrates the start of the Chinese New Year will be bigger and better this year.

Speaking to the media at the headquarters of the Chinese Embassy, Xi Zou said the celebrations marking the start of the Chinese New Year -The Year of the Pig – will be held in conjunction with the Central Bank of Barbados, The Confucius Institute at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and AJA Productions. The event shall be a thoroughly entertaining one with performances from an art troupe from Beijing.

“In the evening of 22nd January, a gala performance by an art troupe consisting of more than 40 performers from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province will be held at the Frank Collymore Hall for local dignitaries… The Chinese art troupe will present wonderful acrobatic martial arts and traditional Chinese music performances together with local Barbados artists. I believe it will be a fantastic show,” Zou said, adding that the troupe’s visit will showcase Chinese culture and be part of worldwide celebrations for the start of the Chinese New Year.

“Every year, a troupe, instead of staying with their families, comes a long way from China to Barbados to bring Chinese culture and talents to Barbadian people. Thanks to their devotion, more Barbadian people start to know and fall in love with Chinese culture,” he said.

Chief, Corporate Communications at the Central Bank of Barbados Novaline Brewster said that the Bank’s partnership with The Chinese Embassy, the Confucius Institute, as well as AJA Productions, has resulted in Barbadians wanting to learn about Chinese language and culture.

“The Bank has enabled Barbados to join 399 other nations in celebrating the Chinese New Year. The attendance and the participation in the festival have grown, the interest in Chinese culture ignited, enrollment in Mandarin classes solidified and the 40-year plus diplomatic relationship between Barbados and China strengthened,” she said.

Treasurer of the Chinese Association of Barbados Philomena Lee said that this year the Association will showcase how Chinese utilize pork in their delicacies.

“The pig is very popular both in Barbados and in China so this year we will have the opportunity to use this and see what can be done. We all use the same common ingredients. However, we just cook it to a different taste. Bearing in mind that it is the Year of the Pig, the association is prepared to show various ways that the Chinese prepare pork at the festival,” Lee said.

The event will be held on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2018 at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium at 5 pm and will showcase vocalist Kelly Cadogan and reigning Pic-O-De-Crop King Mr Blood. There will also be a language and video centre for children to learn Mandarin. (LG)