Antwerp revelries bring communities together

By Chen Weihua in Brussels

Antwerp, the most populous city in Belgium, was immersed in Chinese Lunar New Year festivities on Saturday, Feb 2.

About 2,000 performers from across Belgium staged a grand parade that included 22 groups of lion dancers, waist drum players, qigong and tai chi practitioners, fashion teams wearing qipao and other traditional Chinese costumes, and people dressed as pandas and golden pig figures.

Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Cao Zhongming and Antwerp Mayor Bart de Wever "dotted", or painted on, the lion's eyes in a Chinese tradition that kicks off the parade marking the Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb 5 this year.

The performers came not only from Chinese communities in Belgium, but were formed from a diverse group that also included the local Belgian community. For example, the Belgian Health Qigong Federation has many members who are not from a Chinese background.

Xiang Shihai, the cultural attache at the Chinese embassy in Brussels, described the qigong performances as "thrilling".

The Antwerp parade was the fourth Chinese New Year Parade in Belgium. The previous three were held in Brussels and the two smaller, scenic cities of Dinant and Durbuy, drawing huge crowds of spectators.

After the Feb 2 afternoon parade, an art troupe from the Shanghai Theatre Academy presented a show at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Its program featured dances, Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera, and flute and guzheng (Chinese zither) performances. The Shanghai troupe will also travel to Liege for a performance on Feb 5.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the sister city ties between Antwerp and Shanghai.

Ge Yiyou, director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Brussels, said the dancers and singers from Shanghai will also stage a show at the center on Feb 4, along with many other interactive events organized by Chinese artists, such as writing Spring Festival couplets and making clay figurines.

A Chinese Lunar New Year cultural show will be unveiled that night and last until March 29.

On Jan 29, Tan Dun, a prominent Chinese-American composer and conductor, led a concert performed by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra at Flagey, a venue in Brussels.

On Jan 21, the Suzhou Chinese Orchestra held a concert at the Bozar Center for Fine Arts, also in Brussels.