Perhaps it’s the latest statistics showing that the number of Chinese students enrolling in Dutch universities is predicted to drop by 40% over the coming years, or maybe it’s just a sudden appreciation of the hard-working and peaceful Chinese-Dutch immigrant community..
. whatever the reasons, Den Haag is getting ready to host a big and expensive festival in honor of Holland’s Chinese community: The 1st Annual Chinese Festival, from February 9 to the 27th, will introduce visitors to all aspects of China, from its ancient history, traditions and culture, to its amazing arts and delicious foods.
The festival’s centerpiece is the Chinese New Year celebration of the ‘Year of the Rooster’ on February 12th, when the festival will be officially opened by Mrs. Xue Hanqin, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, who will be joined in Den Haag City Hall’s atrium by local and national Dutch politicians.
The opening ceremony, beginning at 10:00, will be followed by a huge parade, as 18 performance teams and over 1,000 participants dressed in traditional clothing parade through Den Haag’s streets. In Chinatown itself, a traditional lion and dragon dance will be combined with a fireworks display. Throughout the day, in and around City Hall, there will be various cultural performances, exhibitions and demonstrations of Chinese culture, art, fashion, music and sports, including Chinese dance and opera performed by the renowned Yunnan Group, as well as Tai Chi demonstrations outside on the Spuiplein.
The Hague Public Library, one of the event’s organizers, hopes the China Festival will be an annual event. A spokesperson for Den Haag said that for the city, the “China Festival is an excellent opportunity to unite the Chinese and Dutch communities and to give the Hague and its visitors a taste of real Chinese culture.”
The 17 branches of Den Haag Public Library will host various lectures and workshops during the festival weeks: subjects include calligraphy, painting and Chinese astrology. Meanwhile, the Haagse Filmhuis will be screening the greatest hits of Chinese cinema. Also on the festival schedule is a photography competition called ‘China through Hague eyes, and the Hague through Chinese eyes’, in which Hague citizens submit their favorite photos of China, while Chinese citizens submit their favorite photos of Den Haag. A jury will choose the best photographs, which will be enlarged and exhibited throughout the city centre. The winning photographer gets a free trip for two to Beijing.
Delft
Although not on the scale or with the budget of Den Haag’s China Festival, Delft will also be throwing a ‘Year of the Rooster’ celebration of its own. The Sunday February 6 celebration in the Kruithuis (located on the banks of the Schie, across from the TU’s boathouse) is organized by DelChi, the Chinese society in Delft. The festival’s opening ceremony is from 13:00 to 14:00, followed by a party and performances, dancing, Chinese games and an acupuncture demonstration. (DM)
Perhaps it’s the latest statistics showing that the number of Chinese students enrolling in Dutch universities is predicted to drop by 40% over the coming years, or maybe it’s just a sudden appreciation of the hard-working and peaceful Chinese-Dutch immigrant community… whatever the reasons, Den Haag is getting ready to host a big and expensive festival in honor of Holland’s Chinese community: The 1st Annual Chinese Festival, from February 9 to the 27th, will introduce visitors to all aspects of China, from its ancient history, traditions and culture, to its amazing arts and delicious foods.
The festival’s centerpiece is the Chinese New Year celebration of the ‘Year of the Rooster’ on February 12th, when the festival will be officially opened by Mrs. Xue Hanqin, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, who will be joined in Den Haag City Hall’s atrium by local and national Dutch politicians.
The opening ceremony, beginning at 10:00, will be followed by a huge parade, as 18 performance teams and over 1,000 participants dressed in traditional clothing parade through Den Haag’s streets. In Chinatown itself, a traditional lion and dragon dance will be combined with a fireworks display. Throughout the day, in and around City Hall, there will be various cultural performances, exhibitions and demonstrations of Chinese culture, art, fashion, music and sports, including Chinese dance and opera performed by the renowned Yunnan Group, as well as Tai Chi demonstrations outside on the Spuiplein.
The Hague Public Library, one of the event’s organizers, hopes the China Festival will be an annual event. A spokesperson for Den Haag said that for the city, the “China Festival is an excellent opportunity to unite the Chinese and Dutch communities and to give the Hague and its visitors a taste of real Chinese culture.”
The 17 branches of Den Haag Public Library will host various lectures and workshops during the festival weeks: subjects include calligraphy, painting and Chinese astrology. Meanwhile, the Haagse Filmhuis will be screening the greatest hits of Chinese cinema. Also on the festival schedule is a photography competition called ‘China through Hague eyes, and the Hague through Chinese eyes’, in which Hague citizens submit their favorite photos of China, while Chinese citizens submit their favorite photos of Den Haag. A jury will choose the best photographs, which will be enlarged and exhibited throughout the city centre. The winning photographer gets a free trip for two to Beijing.
Delft
Although not on the scale or with the budget of Den Haag’s China Festival, Delft will also be throwing a ‘Year of the Rooster’ celebration of its own. The Sunday February 6 celebration in the Kruithuis (located on the banks of the Schie, across from the TU’s boathouse) is organized by DelChi, the Chinese society in Delft. The festival’s opening ceremony is from 13:00 to 14:00, followed by a party and performances, dancing, Chinese games and an acupuncture demonstration. (DM)
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