On February 3 & 4, the Confucius Institute in Edmonton participated in the annual Chinese New Year celebration at West Edmonton Mall.
This annual event features a Chinese culture marketplace and a variety of Chinese traditional and folk performances. Some special guests attended the event including Premier Rachel Notley, Federal Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, MP Randy Boissonnault and MLA Thomas Dang as well as the Consul General Lu Xu. Premier Notley started the grand opening ceremony by dotting the eye of lion.
During the two-day celebration, the CIE teachers displayed a variety of traditional Chinese arts like calligraphy, dough art, Chinese knots and Chinese handkerchief dance. Many people showed great interest in the beautiful Chinese writing, colourful dough figures and Chinese knots which symbolizes good luck and a prosperous life. Some visitors were eager to find out how to make the Chinese handkerchief twirling and spinning. The Consul General Lu Xu also visited the CIE booth and brought the Chinese New Year greetings to the CIE teachers. CIE organized 30 minutes of performance at the celebration, including the dances from Ross Sheppard School Confucius Classroom, Londonderry School Confucius Classroom and Meyonohk School Confucius Classroom. Four of CIE teachers also participated in the Eating Contest and had a lot of fun.
This event provided an excellent opportunity for Edmontonians to celebrate the Year of the Dog together and experienced the unique Chinese culture.