Year of the Pig in London

Enter the Dragon...

London hosted one of the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside Asia on Sunday, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the heart of the capital to share the joy.

The celebration began with a grand parade featuring 30 teams, including a Chinese Dragon and Lion team, an iconic London double-decker bus and a variety of floats, streaming through the streets from Trafalgar Square via the West End before reaching its final destination, Chinatown.

More live entertainments were presented on the many stages set up around Chinatown, and a martial arts and cultural zone was also put up to offer a show of Chinese handicrafts, Chinese zodiac animals and a dim sum feast.

Despite some drizzle, visitors' enthusiasm remained high for the celebration to mark the arrival of the Year of the Pig, the last of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals.

Winston Lo, one of the presenters of the stage performances, said that there is “a growing and greater sense of eagerness” amongst the British public to participate in the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration as China's cultural influence continues to expand across the globe. “Look at this weather, and thousands and thousands of people are still coming.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who was amongst the audience in Trafalgar Square, said that London and China enjoy a strong friendship with a “huge link in business, tourism, and students”, and that London remains open to the Chinese and other communities despite Brexit uncertainty. “We see everyday, Chinese community and young people coming to our city making a massive contribution. It's really important that carries on going forward and my message is London is open.

“China has made a massive contribution to world civilisation for centuries. And I'm pleased to see London benefiting from the contribution of the Chinese community as well."

Chinese ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said that the Brits' enthusiasm for the Chinese Spring Festival has been very high, which shows increasingly close ties between China and Britain and a greater eagerness of British people to know about China.

“The Spring Festival is a miniature of China–Britain cultural exchanges. I expect even more fruits to be reaped from China–Britain cultural and people-to-people exchanges in the Year of the Pig,” Liu said.

The Chinese New Year celebrations in London, organised by the London Chinatown Chinese Association (LCCA), began as a small community event in Chinatown more than 20 years ago. The festivities have now become the largest of their kind outside Asia, attracting tens of thousands of people to the capital each year.

Xinhua