China Week finale draws near

The Theatre Royal was alive with colour, music and dance as Chinese primary school pupils performed for China Week.

The Theatre and Music Night on Wednesday night was the penultimate event in a week dedicated to the Chinese culture.

China Week events manager Chris Butler said the performances included instrument playing, dance and poetry reading.

The students were ‘‘very, very talented’’ and brought ‘‘a whole lot of colour, beautiful costumes and real vibrancy’’, filling the bottom floor of the theatre with show goers, he said.

A party of 41 students, teachers and parents from Minzhu Road and Guiya Road Primary Schools have been hosted by Richmond’s Saint Paul’s Catholic School during the week.

Butler said while the group spoke very little English, there were translators on hand.

‘‘Part of the motivation for them is to get experience ... and improve their English and in return, we learn about them and improve our Mandarin.’’

Butler said the group had visited Natureland Wildlife Trust, Tahunanui Beach and had done various activities around the city.

‘‘They’re absolutely loving it. They have felt well looked after and ... are enjoying the environment in Nelson. They seem to be having a really good time.’’

As the final event nears, Butler said the week had been a great success.

‘‘The community have really embraced it. Obviously the China community here are a smaller population and growing. The Chinese community and Nelson community have really embraced it. The events were well supported by locals, a large part of that is the two cultures coming together.’’

Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese said the week fostered overseas links.

‘‘Events like these encourage stronger connections. I amparticularly hopeful our relationships can bring mutual benefits in the areas of education, business, environmental protection and tourism.’’

She said since signing a sister city agreement with Huangshi and Yangjiang in 1995, there had been over 20 educational, medical, cultural, business, sporting and municipal exchanges between the cities.

The final event of the week, Community Day will be held at NMIT quad area and student centre today from 11am to 3pm.

There will be a variety of activi- ties, entertainment and displays with the cafe serving Chinese flavoured foods.

Demonstrations include Chinese calligraphy, tai chi, knot making and lantern making, a couple of Nelson Giants will be shooting hoops and the public can try a hand at majong, badminton and table tennis.

Organisations including the NZ Friendship Society, Confucius Institute and Chinese Consulate will also have displays.

MARTIN DE RUYTER Xiao Lichen, left applies make-up to Zhang Xiqian back stage, at the Theatre Royal, before the performance by Minzhu Road Primary School and Guiya Road Primary School from China. The performance was part of the China Week in Nelson.