The Chinese Year of the Snake starts on Wednesday, January 29. I was a guest at this year’s Chinese New Year Gala hosted by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association in Cambridge at Cambridge Corn Exchange.
The Lion Dance is something to behold. On stage at Cambridge Corn Exchange were two huge lions, one red, one yellow – the pantomime horse writ VERY large.
They danced, very fast, in perfect unison – and when the lions rose up on their hind legs, rising to over 10 feet, it meant the front man had leapt – imperceptibly – on to the rear man’s shoulders.
When the lions were once again on all fours, the front men moved the lion’s heads to make recognisable animal movements – all the while dancing to a band of adults and children including symbols and drums.
This was one of the dazzling highlights of a gala at Cambridge Corn Exchange celebrating the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake, which starts on Wednesday, January 29.
The event is organised annually by Chinese students at Cambridge University. They have various associations for dance, singing and playing traditional Chinese orchestral instruments. They also invite guest performers. The exuberant lions were from the London Chinatown Chinese Association.
Another colourful dance by men and women in vibrant costumes called The Carnival of Life was performed by the Communication University of Kunming. Dancers whirled to fast music with marvellous spirt.
It was a case of East meets West, especially, when Haochen Sun, a tall young man dressed in red, like a glittering rock god sung Nunchucks, a pop song about martial arts. It was powerful enough to galvanise the 1,500 people in the audience, who joined in.
The show opened with accomplished offerings from Cambridge University Oriental Dance Association, Cambridge University Cultural Society Drama Club (who presented a short, comic play in Chinese) and the Chinese Community Centre Dance Group.
As the evening went on, there were increasingly virtuoso performances. These included a wistful, melodic duet on violin and the Guzheng (a Chinese plucked zither) Singing the Night Among Fishing Boats.
In parts it was reminiscent of The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams. This was played by Mendie Ji and Yuzhe Wang. It was followed later by an exquisite piano solo, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, played by Mingyang Wang.
The most extraordinary piece for the lyrics – and concept – was the recital of the poem Song of the Wine recited on stage by an actor
Invited guests included Cambridge academics, members of Cambridge City Council and the Chinese Embassy in London.
The speakers before the performances included Professor Dame Madeleine Atkins, President of Lucy Cavendish College Cambridge who introduced the Year of the Snake, saying the creature was revered for its connection to nature and its capacity for renewal, adapting itself by shedding its skin.
The show’s sponsors included Huawei, Zte and Midea. The raffle prizes included a Matebook laptop, a mobile phone and airline tickets to China.
The generosity of the gifts matched the spirit of warmth of the occasion. The audience was sent out into the night having been wished prosperity, health and success in every endeavour and all it could wish for.
