Sydney audiences were thrilled by a gala boosting dancing, singing and traditional costumes show from a troupe of ethnic minorities artists from southwestern China to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Sydney's Chinese New Year Festival marks the biggest outside Chinese mainland. As part of the annual celebration, the Gala Night of Dynamic Chengdu presented in Sydney Town Hall on Monday evening is no doubt the most rewarding part for the audiences.

Chengdu, a city of 3000 years of history, is the capital city of Sichuan Province in southwestern China. The city makes home of rich cultural relics and historic sites as well as non-material heritages of numerous Chinese ethnic groups.

The visiting performers of Chengdu delegation treated Sydney with a showcase of dance, singing, as well as the traditional mask magics named "face changing".

Using love as their overarching theme, Han, Tibetan, Qiang and Yi ethnic groups extended thanks to nature and their abundant homeland of Chengdu, entertaining the impressed viewers.

"I was especially fascinated by the 'face changing' magician, " Mary Young, 26, told Xinhua. "It is hard to believe how he could change the masks so speedy. There must be some smart gadget hidden somewhere. I just could not imagine."

The Gala Night of Dynamic Chengdu, initiated by Ausfeng Group based in Sydney and Chengdu Municipal Government, was supported by Chinese Embassy in Australia and Chinese Consulate-general in Sydney.

In addition to the gala performance, the Chengdu delegation also brought their city's hot and spicy food and parade show to this year's Chinese New Year Festival in Sydney.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)