Expats enjoy tradition as village holds its 'chunwan' early

Ti Gong

It has become a tradition for Chinese people to watch the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, also known as "chunwan," on Chinese New Year's Eve. On Saturday, a village in Shanghai had its own chunwan to enjoy an early celebration of the most important Chinese festival, inviting locals and expats to appreciate performances, food and cultural heritage.

Zhu Feng, Party Secretary of Zhaojiacun Village in Huacao Town of suburban Minhang District, said he and his colleagues had visited local villagers to get to know what they wanted for this year's chunwan.

Eventually, the gala included not only performances by locals to show the rejuvenation of the village, but also songs, dances, opera shows and stand-up comedies by professional art troupes and expats living in the Huacao international community.

Huacao is one of the largest international communities in Shanghai,with more than 9,600 expats from around 80 countries. It also hosts seven international schools and eight international medical institutions.

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Students from the British International School Shanghai's Puxi Campus staged drum and dragon dances while a parents choir sang two songs, "Congratulations (恭喜你)" and "Shanghaitan (上海滩)," on stage during the village version of chunwan.

"Our students have been celebrating Chinese New Year, and today is an opportunity to come out into the community and to be able to celebrate together in this part of Huacao," said Andrew Lancaster, principal of the school.

"Our pupils have been super excited to have the opportunity to perform and I think that it really enriches our community and our sense of belonging."

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Nathalie Pogue, a member of the parents choir, came to Shanghai in June last year from the United States and will spend her first Chinese New Year in the city.

"It's really amazing how everybody is celebrating it and how beautiful everything is. People wear the red and the green, and all the different colors, and they truly enjoy it," she said. "I've never been to this village actually. Just to see everybody come out and come to celebrate, it's an amazing thing."

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Besides the show, there was also a bazaar for people to appreciate intangible cultural handicrafts in the village, which was decorated with festive elements, such as Spring Festival couplets and red lanterns.

At the bazaar, craftsmen showcased traditional sachets, paper cutting, dough moulding, and flower arrangements.

There were two calligraphers writing the Chinese character "fu (福)," which means good fortune or blessings, for participants, a typical tradition in Chinese New Year.

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The village also gave out free dumplings and cakes at the event and had lucky draws for gifts such as tickets to local cultural venues and tourist destinations.

It's the fifth time for Tsc Tempest to enjoy the annual celebration in the village.

"Each year has been quite different, but the entertainment has always been good," said the Australian who came to Shanghai in 2018.

"I like walking around the village and having the dumplings, and seeing all the people that are lining up to eat the dumplings. The performances are interesting. I don't speak Chinese, so it's difficult to understand some, but the actual skill that people demonstrate is very clear. That's easy to understand and appreciate."

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Anita Pansinger from Austria joined the village celebration for the first time. She wore a red down jacket.

"I know Chinese people like wearing red during the Spring Festival and I also like the color," she said.

Pansinger said she loved the special experience.

"It's very interesting to get to know Chinese culture and to mingle with Chinese locals," she said. "I got sticky sweet rice. It's the first time I ate it and it was very delicious."

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