London's Chinese New Year gala rings in Year of Monkey

( chinadaily.com.cn ) Updated: 2016-02-08 20:40

Chinese singer Liu Li performs Hope in the Fields and The Nightingale from the East. [Photo by Song Wei/chinadaily.com.cn]

Themed "golden era", the gala marks the new era for Sino-UK relations following President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK last year, according to the director.

The Mayor of Bury St. Edmunds, and seven mayors of London boroughs attended the event as special guests.

Two hundred performers from across the UK and foreign countries including Russia, India, Italy and France joined with different Chinese ethnic minority groups and local Chinese in the UK, students, and artistic performing groups, to create the evening of song and dance to welcome the Year of the Monkey.

First started in Feb 2013, it's the fourth China-Britain Chinese New Year Extravaganza in London. "There are praises, there are different voices…I am not doing this for money," Zhang says. "I want this gala to serve as a celebration gathering, and also a platform for the overseas Chinese in the UK to present their talents."

This year's event was organized by the UK Chinese Dance & Culture Association, UK-China Economics and Cultural Promotion Association and the Cross-Strait China Culture Communication Foundation.