China News Service, Hong Kong, February 10th: Title: Singing and dancing to welcome the Spring Festival, the Hong Kong Spring Festival float parade brings joy to the public
China News Service reporter Liu Dawei
Gorgeously decorated themed floats filed forward, and performance teams from all over the world sang and danced to joyful music. On the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year (10th), the "Cathay New Year International Show Night" with the theme of "Dragon Hong Kong Celebrates the New Year" once again met with global audiences at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Dragon.
Since 1996, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has organized the Chinese New Year Float Parade on the first day of the Lunar New Year every year, bringing singing, dancing, acrobatics and other parade performances to Hong Kong citizens and tourists from home and abroad. It has become the highlight of the Spring Festival in Hong Kong. It attracts hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens and tourists every year to watch along the way. This year’s performance is the first return in five years since the suspension of the epidemic.
The performance attracted many citizens and tourists. When the reporter arrived at the scene at 18:00, there were already crowds of people around Tsim Sha Tsui, dressed in festive costumes and looking forward to it. In the Canton Road area, police have already pulled up road closures at the intersection and began to ease the flow of people and maintain order. The nearby guardrails were packed to the brim. Ticket buyers also took their seats in the auditorium one after another, waiting for the performance to begin.
During the interview, Mr. Liu, a citizen, had just sat down with his family. He described the event as "very much looking forward to it." For this reason, he arrived early to feel the festive atmosphere. "I haven't watched a performance for a long time. Now that the epidemic has dissipated, the familiar New Year atmosphere has finally returned. I hope Hong Kong will get better year by year."
At about 20:10, the performance officially began, with 9 gorgeous floats of different shapes appearing one after another. Most of this year's floats have the theme of "dragon", which means that the dragon is leaping in Hong Kong, bringing joy in the new year, and heightening the New Year atmosphere. For example, the Hong Kong Tourism Board's float is composed of a dancing dragon and multiple lucky windmills, symbolizing the movement of good fortune; the Hong Kong Jockey Club's float is led by horse elements; and the Macau SAR Government Tourism Office's float reflects elements such as the 25th anniversary of Macau's return to the motherland and the historic center of Macau.
Along with the floats, there were 29 Chinese and foreign performance teams meeting the audience. They walked past the audience one after another, and the performances they brought included not only passionate cheerleading performances, various rope skipping, elegant piano ballet, but also ethnic Zhuang and Tibetan song and dance performances, as well as performances by the Japanese Pioneer Female Dance Troupe , Korean fan dance and other performances that reflect the world's diverse cultures. The colorful and diverse performances attracted bursts of applause and cheers from the audience, who often took out their equipment to record the wonderful moments. The performance lasted about two hours that night.
"It's really wonderful." Ms. You, a tourist from Nanning, Guangxi, said, especially when she saw the use of representative items or elements such as Zhuang brocade, bee drums, Niya ribbons, and hydrangea in the performances from her hometown, showing the world to the world She is very proud of the magnificent customs and colorful culture of Guangxi displayed in various places.
Sara, a British tourist, also praised the performance that night. She and her son came here after seeing news about Hong Kong's resumption of the float parade on the Internet. The wonderful performances from all over the night made her feel that her trip was worthwhile. She said that this was her first time celebrating Chinese New Year and her first time in Hong Kong. She felt a different lively atmosphere and hoped everything would go well in the new year.
"I believe tonight's performance can leave a deep impression on the citizens and tourists and bring a warm festive atmosphere to everyone." Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive John Lee said at the opening ceremony of the performance that night. He hopes that tourists can stay in Hong Kong for a few more days and fully experience Hong Kong, a multicultural city where Chinese and Western cultures come together. Tourists will definitely return with a full load.
After the performance, the lights on both sides of Victoria Harbor were still bright, the bustle and bustle were endless, and the colorful Hong Kong remained as colorful as ever. (over)