Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is the most important festival for Chinese all over the world; February 8 marked the first day or 2016. Unofficial statistics place the population of Chinese who reside in Yellowknife at around 200 people. For a small Chinese community like this, the celebration this year was particularly special.
A local organization called Northern Star Chinese Classics for Children collaborated with several agencies, including the Literacy Outreach Centre (a partnership of Aurora College and Yellowknife Association for Community Living), Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the Integration Office at Aurora College, and the NWT Literacy Council – to organize a half-day community event at the museum this past Saturday.
The celebration started with a children’s performance by the Northern Star Chinese Classics for Children. Their traditional poems and songs were well received by the audience. Presentations of Chinese calligraphy (by Xianyu Zhang) and Tai Chi (by Ruichi Huang and JIngzhu Li) attracted lots of interest and generated questions and energetic discussions. Tai Chi performers led a short workshop for those who wanted to try a few movements.
Volunteers set up a number of activity centers - visitors could try on Chinese clothing, have Beijing Opera face paint, read and do crafts with the NWT Literacy Council, use Chinese stamps or practice chess and calligraphy. Each center was packed with children and adults throughout the afternoon, all curious and eager to try something new.
In her opening speech, Sarah Carr-Locke, the director of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, commented that this event was probably the first of its kind in the history of the museum. The great success of the collaborative effort indicates the strength and growth of this increasingly diverse community. We all hope something like this will happen more often in Yellowknife.
-- Xiaoyi Yan
Thanks for your guest blog, Xiaoyi! If you would like to contribute to our blog, please contact us at nwtliteracy@nwtliteracy.ca or call us at 873-9262 or toll free 1-866-599-6758.
