Chinese New Year is celebrated all over the word; in Sydney, Australia, people are getting ready for the Year of the Tiger!
Western China, that is.
The town of Tongliang in the western city-province of Chongqing is virtually unknown outside China, but nationally it’s been famous since the Ming dynasty in the 15th century – for dragon dancing.
Ten times winners of the national dragon dance competition in Beijing, the Tongliang troupe – all amateurs – will be one of the highlights of Sydney’s Chinese New Year Twilight Parade on February 21.
Their yellow dragon will be wriggling and swirling its way from Town Hall to Chinatown in the colourful and noisy parade that also includes stilt walkers, traditional dancers, martial arts experts, spectacular floats and astonishing acrobats.
The acrobats are also from Chongqing.
Boys and girls dedicate their lives to the Chongqing Acrobatic Art troupe at the age of eight and spend three hours a day (rising to 10 when they are adults) training at the troupe’s gymnasium in Chongqing city.
The results, combining gymnastics with juggling and twirling, are breathtaking.
They won’t have scope in the Twilight Parade to show off all their skills, but they’re putting on a full-length, five-act show for two performances at the State Theatre on February 20.
The show tells the famous story of Mulan, the girl who disguises herself as a boy to join the fight against foreign invaders and heroically saves the entire army from destruction.
In western countries, new year celebrations only last for a day, but in China the festivities last for 15 days. The new year period, also known as Spring Festival, is the most important time of year for families and all Chinese try to go home then to meet up again with parents and other relatives.
In Sydney, too, the Chinese New Year Festival lasts just over two weeks, beginning on the evening of February 12 with a launch celebration on the first night of the Chinese markets in Belmore Park, opposite Central station.
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