Warwick’s Chinese society celebrates New Year in style

Workshops and an evening of entertainment marked the Year of the Goat at Warwick’s Arts Centre on Sunday 15 February.

The Chinese society hosted their annual evening gala, with guest acts from Warwick dance societies Pole and Salsa as well as other Asian societies.

For the first time, a day of interactive activities in the Arts Centre preceded the evening celebration.

Eric Rong Yao, Chinese society vice-president said: “For this year’s gala, we managed to collaborate with the Arts Centre to host our first ‘China Day’, an exhibition of Chinese cultures and traditions.”

Speaking before the event, he explained: “The entire Arts Centre will be painted red and decorated with lanterns and Chinese knots. There will be different stations holding different activities for visitors.”

The workshops incorporated various Chinese traditions such as Peking Opera facial artwork, lantern-making and calligraphy. The Chinese orchestra was also present. All activities were free, but ticket entry was required to experience the Gala Night itself.

The evening event promised “a mixture of cultures from the East and the West” with a wide variety of dance and music genres.

Joe Weizhou Qin, entertainment officer for Chinese society, said: “This year, we aim to bring a more diverse performance to our audience.

“What is different this year is that we have the honour to invite Warwick Salsa and Pole Dance Society to celebrate this event together.”

Members of the Thai, Japan and Korean societies were also invited to perform in the show.

As part of the gala’s singing competition, the favourite performing act had the chance to win a six-day holiday in Greece. The Chinese orchestra, rap and magic society were included in the line-up.

“The diversity and good quality of the performance will no doubt bring out a fantastic show and we can’t wait for it,” added Mr Qin.

Mr Yao emphasised the importance of the event in bringing students together: “The New Year Gala symbolises the start of a new year, with fresh hopes and aspirations.

“This means that on the actual day many Chinese students from Warwick will come together and celebrate this special occasion, even when we are far away from home.”

Chinese New Year is on Thursday 19 February.