Chinese New Year Spectacular Wows Canadians

Prime Minister Harper commends NTDTV for its ‘wonderful display’ of culture

By Zhou Xing
Epoch Times Staff

Toronto—New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV)’s 2007 Chinese New Year Spectacular wrapped up its trip to Canada with three performances at the Toronto Center for The Arts on Jan. 19-20, as more than 18,000 attendees in four cities enjoyed the magnificent presentations of traditional Chinese culture.

“NTDTV held 10 Chinese New Year Spectacular shows in Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto in Canada,” NTDTV Canada President Mr. Wang Shaojiu said. “All the tickets were sold, and the TV station received much audience feedback highly praising the shows.”

The 2007 Chinese New Year Spectacular performs seventy shows, covering thirty cities on four continents.

Beginning with its first Canadian show Jan. 3 at the Vancouver Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Spectacular then moved on to a Jan. 12 show in Ottawa, Canada’s capitol, where many Canadian government leaders gave greetings and attended the show. Two days prior to the Ottawa tour stop, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent his greetings to NTDTV, commending “their efforts in bringing this wonderful display of traditional Chinese culture to audiences in Canada.”

Environment Minister John Baird greeted audiences at the show on behalf of the prime minister and the Canadian government. Other government leaders at the show included parliament members (MP) Royal Galipeau and Pierre Poilievre, Ontario provincial MP Richard Patten, Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien and six other Ottawa city Parliament members.

In Montreal on Jan. 13-14, more than 4,300 audience members watched the show, which is rich with portrayals of traditional Chinese myths and legends. The audience included dozens of Western families with adopted children from China, attending the show to help their children better understand traditional Chinese heritage.

On Jan. 19 at the Spectacular’s final stop in Toronto, Deputy Premier (Ontario) George Smitherman attended the Spectacular show, greeting audience members and thanking New Tang Dynasty Television for bringing such a beautiful show to the city.

The New Year Spectacular also received praise from renowned Ottawa University professor, poet and writer Cyril Dabydeen, who felt the event was wonderful; adding that although he has researched Chinese history for years, the show helped him to better appreciate Chinese culture. Mr. Dabydeen suggested that everyone in Canada could benefit from watching the show, helping them better understand and respect people of Chinese heritage and their precious traditions.

James Shin, president of the Montreal newspaper Korea Week, said the Spectacular artistically combined Chinese culture with what is happening in China today, a pioneering and successful experiment. He added that people who follow their own faith and respect their cultural heritage will be respected by all.

Many attendees commented that the colorful costumes, enchanting music and traditional dance were all perfect for the show. Some said that the drumming was their favorite segment; others commented that the show was the best Chinese New Year celebration they had ever seen.

The NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular show attracted many business sponsors, including world famous companies such as Chrysler and McDonalds. Ms. Jin Cong, coordinator for the Toronto show, said she has already received sponsorship offers for the 2008 Spectacular.