'Doesn't really matter what ethnic background or race you are.' All Manitobans welcome at Chinese New Year

Read this article translated in Mandarin

"[It's] an important first step for us to get together. Doesn't really matter what ethnic background or race you are."

Gang Wang wants Manitobans to know that he's saving them a spot at the Manitoba Great Wall Performing Arts Chinese New Year celebration on Saturday, Feb. 9.

"Chinese New Year will get everybody together - join us to celebrate. That will make us feel that [Manitobans] really care about people [who come] from other places."

The performance at Club Regent Events Centre will have acrobats, face-changers and dancers from China who will also stop in Toronto and Ottawa for similar performances before returning to the Far East.

"It's a once in a year performance that Manitobans will not have seen before", said Gary Liu, the president of Manitoba Great Wall.

"So [you] can see 2000 years of [the] history of China from your eyes, from your heart."

The Lunar New Year marks the start of spring and new beginnings and with it a hope for new prosperity. There are three important aspects to celebrating Chinese New Year; family, food and fortune.

2019 marks the year of the Pig, a particularly auspicious zodiac.

When pigs fly - babies birthed for good luck in new Lunar year

Significant to Chinese culture is the assumption of lucky and unlucky events, objects or even numbers.

"What animal a Chinese person belongs to is very important," says Fisher Wang, general manager of Ido Media.

"[The year of the] Pig is a good thing, good year and parents are planning to have [a pig] baby this year."

Wang says that while he's not an overly religious person he does think there's something to the personality attributes that are associated with different Chinese zodiacs.

"I think the descriptions are accurate to a certain degree, " says Wang.

Childhood memories in China

As a young child of four or five years of age Fisher remembers travelling back to family homes for the Chinese New Year celebrations to visit aunts, uncles and grandparents.

"I can remember my family driving back to see family in a different city and with a different family member every year."

In China, after the 1980s a single-child policy was imposed on families and so only one child could be born to each married couple.

"My father had five brothers but I was the first generation of the single-child policy so my generation the families are much smaller and reunions are even more special to the older generations."

Since coming to Manitoba in 2003 and making his new home here in Winnipeg, Fisher sees an opportunity to connect the Chinese-Manitoba community with businesses and other community leaders.

In that spirit, Fisher organizes an annual Chinese Business Gala to celebrate Chinese New Year. On Saturday, Feb. 2 at Club Regent Events Centre dinner guests are treated to traditional Chinese performing arts and a delicious dinner.

Beginning again all the way on the other side of the globe is something few Manitobans have first hand experience. Part of succeeding is making connections - business and also personal - with the community.

So, how'd you come to Canada?

"Everybody says when a foreign person comes to this country [the] very first thing they have in mind is 'oh that must be hard for you', like the language and everything else", remarked Gang Wang.

"Instead, I think it's, I don't have any friends or family over here. You have everything on yourself."

Wang says that he's not been back to China for Chinese New Year since he arrived in Canada fourteen years ago.

"Adaptability is very important to, I'm going to use the word survive. How do you regroup and carry on the burden of expectation from your family...you spend years and years and years staying away from your families."

"It's pretty tough sometimes," says Wang.

Everyone's invited to celebrate Lunar New Year

Gary Liu at Great Wall Performing Arts he is bursting to share Chinese culture with Manitobans; those that were born, live and work here.

"Manitoba is a really friendly province and people are very friendly. After this year it's 17 years, we make the big show, we put a lot to share our culture [through performing arts] because there's no language barrier."

"And the good thing is that they can take all of the different culture, different people and share one culture to another [that] is very important.

For Gang Wang, he says "Chinese New Year show is not only for Chinese people it's more for the purpose of getting everyone involved in the bigger picture. For the Chinese that are here [in Manitoba] it is a privilege to share our culture with you."

About this article:

The local marketing and communications team for CBC Manitoba seeks out new and innovative ways to take the public broadcaster into communities and grow audiences. For Chinese New Year, CBC Manitoba sponsored the Manitoba Great Wall Performing Arts event and the Chinese Business Gala to reflect Chinese New Year celebrations back to Manitobans.

Janet Stewart, host of CBC News Winnipeg at 6 pm and 11 pm will emcee the festivities on Feb. 9 and at each event, CBC Brand Ambassadors will be handing out red envelopes, a colour that symbolizes prosperity and good fortune, with a gold chocolate coin inside.

Do you have something big up your sleeves that your local public broadcaster should sponsor? Drop us a line at communications.winnipeg@cbc.ca