Member Article

Kung Hey Fat Choi!

Chinese New Year celebrations for 2018 officially began on Friday 16 February, to be followed by 15 activity-packed days.

One of the highlights of Chinese New Year is the spectacular Lion Dance, which intu Eldon Square welcomed into the shopping centre for a Chinese New Year’s Day performance to launch The Year of the Dog.

The lively and exciting Lion Dance, which Chinese tradition claims brings good luck and scares away evil spirits for the year ahead, was performed by members of Edmund Ng’s Choi Lee Fut Kung Fu Dragon and Lion team.

Edmund, a member of the Chinese Festivity Group, organisers of Chinese New Year in the city, said:

“We very much enjoyed bringing the Lion Dance to intu Eldon Square, as we are always a very popular attraction to shoppers! Our dedicated troupe of performers come from a training base whose aims and objectives are to promote healthy living by practising the art of Choi Lee Fut kung fu and Chinese lion dancing; we also aim to promote racial harmony through better understanding of Chinese arts and culture.”

The Lion Dance performance bagan at the Grey’s Monument entrance to the centre, then made its way through Grey’s Quarter, and on to St Andrew’s Way, where a free children’s arts and crafts area was set up near Debenhams, giving children the opportunity to make their own mini Chinese dragons.

Vikki Mather, intu Eldon Square’s acting marketing manager, commented:

“We all thoroughly enjoyed heralding Chinese New Year celebrations in the city with the exciting Lion Dance at intu Eldon Square. The festival is an integral part of Newcastle’s exciting events calendar and the showcase dance is a firecracker of a performance designed to thrill and entertain. This year’s festivities will be bigger and better than ever in the city and we are thrilled to be joining in painting the town red – the Chinese colour of good luck!”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lyn Spencer .