New Year to be celebrated in South Australia with concert, exhibition

CANBERRA－Chinese New Year will be celebrated at the Adelaide Festival Center in South Australia with a concert, exhibition and workshops in February.

The Chinese New Year Concert showcasing Eastern and Western cultures during a special evening performance will be held on Feb 13 by the local School of Chinese Music and Arts in Adelaide Festival Center's Dunstan Playhouse.

"For me, Chinese New Year is about reflecting on our cultural heritage and passing it on to the next generation," says Zhao Liang, founder of the school, in a statement. "So this concert is a great way to celebrate."

A free event will also be held earlier in the day, with workshops on calligraphy, paper-cutting and knotting techniques.

The day before the event is Lunar New Year, the first day of Spring Festival, when the Shaanxi Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition will be launched in the Festival Theater foyer's QBE Galleries, where it will run until March 13.

The exhibition, celebrating the Year of the Ox, will display more than 100 items, including wood carvings, ceramics and embroidery.

Xiao Xiayong, director of China Cultural Center in Sydney, says:"On the occasion of the Lunar New Year of the Ox in 2021, China Cultural Center in Sydney, Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Adelaide Festival Center will jointly hold the exhibition, which is a showcase of traditional Chinese skills and creativity.

"We would like to extend our Chinese New Year greetings to the people of South Australia through this exhibition," he says. "It's great to have more Australian friends experience the profound Shaanxi culture. We hope this exhibition will enhance their understanding of traditional Chinese skills, and also promote the friendship between the people of China and Australia."

"Adelaide Festival Center is proud to present such a diverse program to mark Chinese New Year and promote cultural engagement between Australia and Asia," says Douglas Gautier, CEO and artistic director of the Adelaide Festival Center. "We're thrilled to be working with local, interstate and international organizations to make these events possible."