CNY dragon dance festival, cultural village exhibition Jan 19
KOTA KINABALU: The widely anticipated Chinese New Year Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival and Cultural Village Exhibition is back on January 19, 2019 at Likas Sports Complex.
The United Sabah Chinese Communities Association of Kota Kinabalu (Usccakk) president Datuk Susan Wong Siew Guen said the association had been organizing the annual event for over 30 years.
“The festival has become an iconic event of the association,” she said at the launching ceremony here.
Wong said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Apdal would be invited to officiate at the Chinese New Year Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival at the multipurpose hall at Likas Sports Complex at 2.30pm.
Meanwhile, the Cultural Village Exhibition will be officiated by the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Kota Kinabalu, Liang Caide in the morning.
She said Usccakk was committed to bringing exciting dragon, unicorn and lion dance performances to the public to celebrate the auspicious Chinese New Year annually.
“This activity has gained much popularity among the community.
“I wish to thank all the dragon, unicorn and lion dance troupes for preserving the Chinese traditional culture for generations to come, as well as their participation in this event to promote our culture.”
Additionally, Wong marked her appreciation on Chinese community leaders and individuals who had continuously sponsored the event.
“The association is also grateful for the support and sponsorship from the state government and Consulate General of the Republic of China in Kota Kinabalu all these years and we hope they will continue to support the event in this coming year 2019.”
On another note, she said the Cultural Village Exhibition held outside the multipurpose hall at Likas Sports Complex starting at 8am would feature the different tea cultures and traditional pastries and cuisines prepared by the 15 associations in Usccakk.
There will also be a cheongsam pageant to showcase the beauty of the Chinese traditional costume.
She urged members of the public to join the fun-filled event, starting with sampling the different teas and traditional food at the Chinese Cultural Village in the morning, followed by the cheongsam pageant and thrilling dragon, unicorn and lion dance from 1pm to 6pm later that day. Admission is free. Also present at the launching ceremony were Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (Fcas) president Tan Sri Dr T.C. Goh, former Usccakk presidents Henry Kong and Datuk Jimmy Yong, Likas assemblyman Tan Lee Fatt and Luyang assemblyman Phoong Jin Zhe.