The Chinese New Year Celebration for the arrival of the Year of the Horse was held at the Hove Town Hall in Brighton and Hove on 26th January, 2014. Organized by CEDP Chinese Centre, this great event attracted over 2000 people including pupils from local schools. Academic institutions like CIBL (Confucius Institute for Business London), University of Susses and University of Brighton also participated in the celebration activities to promote Chinese culture and Mandarin learning.
Mr. Peter Field, Lord Lieutenant as Her Majesty's representative, Councillor Denise Cobb, the Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Mr. Guoqiang Li, the first secretary from the Chinese Embassy, and Lord Stephen Green, Former Chairman of HSBC, Minister of UK Trade & Investment were all invited and gave their speeches at the event. In addition to expressing good wishes for the New Year, both Mr. Guoqiang Li and Lord Stephen Green have highlighted the importance of cultural exchange and encouraged Chinese learning.
Throughout the event, there was great participation from LSE students and CIBL staff. Mr. Craig Meegan, CIBL Office Manager and Ms. Sufei, LSE student were presenters of the fabulous gala. Charles Cheung, CIBL Cantonese teacher performed martial arts to the audience. Local people also had a taste of traditional Chinese culture such as calligraphy supported by CIBL volunteering teachers.
The gala drew to a close to the jovial chorus “Songs and Smiles”. The young and the old Chinese learners expressed their best wishes through their sincere singing. The event ended in an award ceremony presided over by Councillor Denise Cobb Lord Peter Field and Lord Stephen Green where volunteers were awarded with certificates. (CIBL Yue JI)