Chinese myth is centerpiece of lunar New Year celebrations in Liverpool

Liverpool Chinatown will celebrate the lunar New Year, which falls on Jan 28, with spectacular projections telling the story of Jingwei and the Ocean.[Photo/IC]

Europe's oldest Chinatown is to stage its biggest ever Chinese lunar New Year celebrations featuring the myth of a bird trying to fill in the ocean, organizers announced Monday.

Liverpool Chinatown will celebrate the lunar New Year, which falls on Jan 28, with spectacular projections telling the story of Jingwei and the Ocean.

Lighting up the city's landmark traditional Chinese archway and nearby buildings, the beautiful lumiere creations are based on the myth of a daughter of China's earliest tribal leader, who, after drowning at sea, became a bird and endeavored to fill in the ocean with twigs and stones to prevent anyone else from the same tragedy of drowning.

The story has been adapted to showcase how Chinatowns in Liverpool and other parts of the world have developed from the seeds sown and the pebbles laid by the earliest Chinese settlers, and how these small pockets of land developed into vibrant and diverse communities, said a spokesman for the Liverpool City Council.

Digital tech company Illuminos is behind the lumiere creations.

"It's been a fascinating project, working to weave together many celebratory elements of the Chinese community in Liverpool into a light and sound spectacle. There's a real passion from them in sharing their stories and traditions and the projections will hopefully make this happen in a way that is totally new," said Illuminos artist Rob Vale.

"The piece will be a really exciting mix of elements, playing with aspects of traditional Chinese shadow puppetry, mixed with specially filmed characters from the Chinese community, and blended with wonderful music from the Liverpool Pagoda Youth Orchestra."

The soundtrack to the show is a specially commissioned piece by Jah Wobble with members of the Pagoda Youth Orchestra performing on the track.

"Chinese New Year in Liverpool will be extra special as not only are we trying something new, the celebrations are also extended," said Assistant Mayor Wendy Simon. "Working with Illuminos gives us the opportunity to tell the story of our Chinese community in an incredibly special way. It will make it an unforgettable Chinese Year of the Rooster celebration."