The province’s centennial celebration, Chinese performances shined (photos)

Alberta’s centennial celebration, Chinese performances shined (photos) (Sunbird special correspondent Feng Haiyan) On Sunday, February 12, not far from Arizona’s centenary...

Alberta’s centennial celebration, Chinese performances shined (photos) (Sunbird special correspondent Feng Haiyan) On Sunday, February 12, two days before Arizona’s 100th birthday, the front of the state capitol was bustling. Arizonans of different colors and cultural backgrounds came from all over to celebrate Arizona’s 100th birthday. The performance from China attracted a lot of attention and added a beautiful touch of color to the celebration. This celebration is hosted by the state government and will last for two days. There will be celebrations from 12 noon to 10 pm on February 11 and from 12 noon to 6 pm on February 12. The event is mainly divided into 8 parts: entertainment, food, music, cultural stalls, family play area, wine garden, crafts and educational pavilion. Chinese Lion Dance (photo by Zhang Zhaohong) The Chinese delegation presented lion dance, martial arts performances and a Chinese dance on the central stage that day, winning rounds of applause from the audience. "I received the notice [of the performance] half a month ago," said Lu Lihua, the principal of New Oriental Art School, who is in charge of this dance performance. "Our young actors have several years of performance experience, and they are not nervous." Dance scene (first from left) Deng Chaoju, chairman of the Overseas Chinese Federation (second from left) Lu Lihua, principal of New Oriental. The martial arts performance presented by Dynamic Wushu was a small climax of the day's performance. The audience responded enthusiastically and actively interacted with the actors. In addition to performances, the Chinese delegation also owns two cultural stalls in the cultural area, occupying a place among the forty or fifty cultural stalls, and playing a famous business card of China. One of the cultural stalls focuses on food and the other focuses on culture. There is an endless stream of people stopping in front of the stalls. Cultural Recommendation (Photography by Zhang Zhaohong) "I like Chinese food very much, it's delicious." A customer smiled and pointed at the broccoli beef in front of the stall. "We Chinese must attend occasions like this," said Deng Chaoju, chairman of the Phoenix Federation of Overseas Chinese Associations (Overseas Chinese Federation), the organizer of the event. "We are an important force in building Arizona." Mr. Deng said that although he only received the notice three weeks ago and the performance that day was a little rushed, he was very satisfied with the overall effect of the event. "Of course we can do better," he said with a smile. The cheerful Chinese folk dance was very popular at the venue. The Chinese Restaurant Association, a subsidiary of the Overseas Chinese Federation, prepared meals for 600 VIP seats that day and contributed to this event. In addition, on February 14th, the 100th birthday of the province, the Chinese community in China will present a dragon and lion dance as the opening performance before the governor’s speech. Official website of the Arizona Centennial Celebration: http://www.az100years.org/ Review of the 100-year history of Chinese in Alberta, USA: http://www.paaca.us/100year_az.htm (Pictures provided by New Oriental Art School)