16 February 2009

Chinese New Year delayed and moved - epic fail

| johnboy
Join the conversation
30

When I heard that Chinese New Year was being moved in Canberra from its correct date on 26 January to 15 February, so as to fit in with the multicultural festival I’ll admit my heart sank a little.

That it was going to be on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin rather than, say, in the Dickson Chinatown was also a matter of some worry.

But with the best will in the world I went down to Commonwealth Park today hoping for the best.

My worst fears were confirmed.

Little girls were bopping around to cantopop. Between songs they would change costumes at the back of the audience (no change rooms) before renewed bopping about. During this interval hectoring women would exhort the crowd with the wondrous spectacular nature of this entertainment.

There was no food, and little drink. There was a little bit of a line for iced tea and coca cola was also available. Half the stalls were empty an hour after the start of the official program.

There were maybe a couple of hundred people in the crowd. 60% Chinese to 40% European at a guess.

They hadn’t even planned for success with minimal portaloos and seating for maybe 20 people.

Here’s a thought. Give Chinese New Year’s back to the Chinese community. Support them in closing off Woolley St in Dickson on the right day, slip them a grant for stage hire and PA. Let them get on with it and the rest of us can go enjoy it as we choose.

Let it be the vibrant, fun event it can be without our multicultural commissars stamping their big boots all over it.

Please let there be no repeats of this embarrassing farce.

UPDATED: The Canberra Times on the other hand thinks everything was peachy, although oddly they didn’t manage to get a chinese punter’s view of the event.

Slideshow of the “Festivities” below:

Join the conversation

30
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

From reading the posts above, I can’t quite work out how the Chinese Embassy (ie Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China) is involved with CNY festivities in Canberra.

Irrespective of this, it is worth noting that many people who identify as Chinese, along with their ancestors, have been living outside of China for many years in places such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and pretty much every where else, and now they live here. As mentioned above, these people probably don’t want to have any more to do with the Chinese Embassy than do you or I. That the Chinese community at large runs the CNY festivities is a more palatable suggestion.

Nevertheless, the embassies have plenty of coin and put on some decent shows (obviously this not being one of them). It could really suck the life out of the MC Fest if they were kept at arms length.

I would wholeheartedly support the Chinese embassy if they put on a CSN&Y gig, though.

I’d prefer the representatives of foreign powers be kept out of the affairs of local communities.

It gets tricky because countries with decent government’s and small local communities like to be involved, think the US embassy flogging hot dogs and budweiser at BAMOASD.

But once you let one in it’s hard to say “Sorry, but you’re murdering bastards” to diplomats.

If discretion can’t be exercised better to leave out the embassies entirely IMHO.

I have one question. Does this mean that it can’t be handled by non-Australian Chinese who have been here for years?

^ I hear you JB. Remember the Vietnamese protest a few years ago? It was in protest to that concert that was organised by the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Well if you don’t think it’s isolating for the local chinese community to be unwilling to go to what’s meant to be their own festivals then you don’t see much.

Let’s say for the last sixty years Australia had been ruled by a brutal dictatorship. Let’s say your parents fled to New Zealand, settled in well, started a business, bought a house. And let’s say that despite your loyalty to your new found home you and yours still liked to get together for a shindig on Australia Day and invited your neighbours around for a shindig.

Then suddenly your local government handed the event over to the same goons you fled back home? If they find out exactly who you are and who your family are back home you’ll end up doing them favours, many of them illegal, forever. You’ll end up ratting out your own friends.

Maybe you’d just stay home instead? Save your family back in Canberra from the possibility of being held hostage to you complying with a regime you despise?

OzChick – I agree with you.

Mind you, having fewer multicultural events under the control of Messrs Hargreaves and Manikis is an outcome devoutly to be wished, IMO.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy4:43 pm 16 Feb 09

I see your point JB, but I think it’s drawing a bit of a long bow to say that by letting their embassy run their CNY festivities we are isolating them from the community. I’m not also not sure how letting the Chinese embassy run CNY will directly result in the Chinese govt farming the organs of Chinese people living in Canberra.

But hey, their food is great!

^ No, it should be handled by the respective Australian-Chinese community here in Canberra.

Shouldn’t all the cultural festivities are handled by the respective Embassies then?

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

What exactly do we think their govt can do to them here in Australia?

Organise a crap CNY?

Threaten to farm family back home for organs if they don’t spy for them here is just one of a long list of things.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy4:26 pm 16 Feb 09

What exactly do we think their govt can do to them here in Australia? Organise a crap CNY?

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

How is that even relevant? If we enjoy their food then we’re oging to engage with them whenever we eat with them. Jokes aside, I’d suggest that most Canberrans are unlikely to actively choose to drive a minority like the Chinese community into isolation.

No, but handing their community events over to the Government they’ve fled from might. For example, as just one reason why staying on top of events matters.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy4:13 pm 16 Feb 09

How is that even relevant? If we enjoy their food then we’re oging to engage with them whenever we eat with them. Jokes aside, I’d suggest that most Canberrans are unlikely to actively choose to drive a minority like the Chinese community into isolation.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Who cares why they’re here? Their food is fantastic.

Pretty important to figure it out if you want to engage their community rather than drive them into isolation.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy3:25 pm 16 Feb 09

Who cares why they’re here? Their food is fantastic.

I know that not many are fans of the China govt/embassy but this is currently as good as it gets. That doesn’t mean I agree. It makes sense because they have the resources to do so.

Minor matter that the chinese community are in large part here because they really dislike the Government back home.

It makes sense to have the China embassy organize the CNY event. But I’m not sure if the ACT govt have ever considered that the Chinese doesn’t necessary come from China only. The Chinese that had left China to settle in other parts of the world, many generations later, still retain traditions that even the comrades in China no longer practice. Thus the celebration is slightly different. Different dialect groups also prepare and celebrate differently. The Canberra community only get a glimpse of a watered-down version of such a glorious celebration.

Also, it is not just the Chinese community that celebrates CNY, the Vietnamese community annually have celebrations at the temple in Lyneham.

The CNY celebrations at the Fairfield showgrounds are awesome every year. You can’t really compare as there is a larger asian community in the south western area of Sydney. It would be awesome if there was an annual event like this in Canberra.

http://fairfield.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/fairfield-showground-hosts-vietnamese-new-year-celebrations/1430875.aspx

I’ve taken my kids to CNY on Woolley St last year. Deliberately turned up when most of the daytime stuff was over and any night stuff had yet to start, so it wasn’t busy. The kids got to see some community performances, we picked up take-away for dinner, and left feeling positive about the Chinese community who put on the performances. Even if it’s not as big and spectacular as Sydney events, having something staged by the community groups involved and located where most people think to go when they want Chinese food, makes a lot more sense than a month late and in the wrong place.

I guess the reason why the lake was the focus for all the Chinese NY events was because of the dragon boat event. Those shots are from where the dragon boating was to be run.

Unfortunately bacteria levels in the lake rose to the point where the gubmint made the decision to close the lake. Thus the organisers of the dragon boat ‘regatta’ had to pull the plug.

There were alot of dragon boaters wondering what to do with themselves for a bit, myself included, but due to the lack of an event, I don’t think many people hung round for too long. I think your pictures prove that point.

phototext said :

What a stupid thing to do.

It was a great community event in Dickson. Who ever decided it needed to be moved to Commonwealth Park is an idiot.

Probably the same one who moved it to a stage on Ainslie Av last year (or was it the year before).

The only problem with Woolley St is the lack of trees and shade which if you end up with a hot day like last week isn’t all that good for anyone.

futto said :

Finally a post that i can agree 100% with you JohnBoy.

Another post that I can agree with you JB.

I suppose there is a bit of a line – if the embassy is involved, a lot of the local Chinese would want to stay well away…

Finally a post that i can agree 100% with you JohnBoy.

Thanks johnboy. I didn’t even know about this event.

As a Chinese Canberran, I do acknowledge that our “community” has struggled to actually stage something that is worthwhile and cohesive for what is the most important day on the Chinese calendar. I think there is a fine line with the National Multicultural Festival, where events are given the go-ahead for the event’s sake, even when it is actually embarassing to those who belong to that culture due to poor quality. The Chinese food offered at the food thing is another example. I’m not sure what the solution is; I’m not sure that the local Chinese community is that organised anyway even if it was handed by the them/us. Was the chinese embassy involved, I wonder?

Thought of going there. Just as well we didn’t go. I always find the CNY celebration in Canberra is kinda sad & pathetic. Went to a lantern festival a few years ago. It was nice but nothing special. Just a bunch of kids carrying lantern and walking around the lake.

One of those idiots making these decisions needs to go visit Cabramatta for Chinese New Year. I grew up in Cabra, and the celebration, which goes for weeks, far outstrips the entire multicultural festival! Of course, being an Anglo, and with my Vietnamese friends all born in Australia, none of us knew the significance of any of it, but it was a blast, and would enhance our little festival…

What a stupid thing to do.

It was a great community event in Dickson. Who ever decided it needed to be moved to Commonwealth Park is an idiot.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.