Year of the dragon in our global Chinatown
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The Big Story:
Celebrations to mark the new lunar year of the dragon begin February 10 across China and much of the world.
- In China, they call it Spring Festival. In Vietnam, it’s Tet; Tibetans call it Losar.
- Across the globe – from San Francisco to Paris to Kampala – the year of the dragon will be marked by parades, dances, drums, red lanterns, colourful floats, fireworks and food. London, England claims to host “the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations outside Asia”. Local variations outside China abound, with Barcelona’s Chinese new year parade, for instance, featuring dracs, a Catalan species of dragon.
- The Chinese government says it wants to celebrate “with the world” and that the festival has become a global cultural event, bringing joy to people in nearly 200 countries and regions.
- It’s true China’s influence is now felt around the world, creating a global Chinatown. But some, like sinologist David Shambaugh say China is “not a model, not a magnet others want to follow“.
- Just weeks ago, a campaign for United Nations recognition of lunar new year as an optional staff holiday globally ended in success.
- One of the best known greetings for Chinese New Year is “kung hei fat choi”, which literally means “Wishing you prosperity”.
- That’s what luxury fashion companies, including Prada, Burberry and Moschino hope, with their special year-of-the-dragon collections honouring Chinese culture.
The Backstory:
- In 2011, the Chinese Communist Party declared it a national priority to become a cultural superpower.
- The lunar new year is the oldest, most important traditional festival in Chinese culture.
- Each new year is represented by one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. The dragon, the only mythological one, is a symbol of courage, power and good fortune.
This Week, Those Books:
- China summed up.
- A sumptuous Chinese feast.
- And a diaspora takeaway.
