Chinese tradition observed worldwide

(CCTV.com)
Updated: 2008-02-13 09:43

Across the globe, celebrations are underway to mark the annual lunar new year. 
 
In London, the prestigious British Museum staged some traditional Chinese performing arts. Beijing high school students grabbed the limelight with their folk dancing.The show also featured Spring Festival specials like shadow puppets and finely cut paper. The museum also curated a wide exhibit of Chinese antiques and artifacts, and twelve lanterns depicting the Chinese zodiac animals were on display.
 
Across the Channel, the French are staging a series of costume parades for the New Year. Led by dragon and lion dancers, more than 20 performing teams drew huge crowds as they toured the major streets in Paris, staging traditional operas, folk dances, and kungfu stunts. This week, the City of Light will see even more performances dedicated to the Chinese New Year.
 
In the Netherlands, local Chinese expatriates gathered for festivities at The Hague on Saturday. Celebrating alongside local residents were the Dutch foreign minister and diplomats from over forty countries. The highlight was a costume parade for the ten thousand participants of the celebration.
 
In Stockholm, Sweden, the King's Garden downtown was the center of celebration. Braving the wintry air, performers staged lion dances and performed traditional folk music.
 
Australia also joined in the fun. In Sydney, residents constructed dozens of huge parade floats. More than two thousand performers took to the streets, and 80 thousand spectators lined the route for the annual spectacle, now in its twelfth year.


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