About 18 top Chinese artists on Sunday presented a music feast here to celebrate the traditional Chinese New Year together with Toronto's Chinese community.

The The Same Song, one of the most popular variety TV programs in China, was staged as a "Chinese New Year Spectacular" in Toronto's Rogers Center Sunday afternoon. It lasted for almost five hours and was recorded as the largest ever Chinese concert in Canada.

An audience of around 21,000, coming from as far away as Hamilton, Vancouver and the United States, enjoyed the show. This was almost twice the prediction of 14,000.

"The response from the Toronto-area Chinese community has been overwhelming. No other event in Ontario has captured the support, the eagerness and imagination of so many Chinese organizations," said a spokesperson for the event.

Big name pop stars and TV celebrities from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan performed both popular and nostalgic musical pieces, drawing frequent applause from the audience, who from time to time sang together with the artists.

A brand name program by China's major television network, China Central Television, featuring famous singers from China and overseas, The Same Song has been running for over five years in China with great success. In recent years, it has been performed extensively throughout Asia and in North America.

From Toronto, the show will now travel directly to New York for another "Chinese New Year Spectacular."

The Chinese New Year of 2006, the Year of Dog, falls on Jan. 29. But preparations for the celebration of this most important traditional festival usually start as early as one month ahead.

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2006)