On the afternoon of 21st January 2025, as the Year of the Snake drew nearer and nearer, UISG Secondary students gathered together at the MFH to join in a wonderful Chinese New Year celebration, an occasion suffused with an atmosphere of joy and blessings, which provided an audio-visual feast for the teachers and students participating. The proceedings began with a heartfelt and warmly received New Year’s speech by the Head of the Secondary, which expressed good wishes to all for the New Year and set a warm and joyful tone for the whole event.

The students, dressed in gorgeous traditional Chinese costumes, acted as cultural ambassadors and took the lead in presenting a lively and moving Chinese drum performance. The sound of the drums was thunderous and majestic. Every beat seemed to pound out a sound of hope for the New Year and inspired the hearts and minds of all who were there. After the exciting drum performance, a powerful golden dragon danced onto the stage, with the splendour of a rainbow. Its agile movements signified hope and good luck in the Year of the Snake.

The music of the guzheng, piano, violin and harp flute ensemble unfolded like a gorgeous scroll. The harmony of the notes, vividly portraying a deep fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, illustrated the depth of this cultural exchange. The classical piece ‘Jasmine’ played by the String Quartet introduced the audience to a fragrant musical wonderland with its harmonious melody and floral motifs.

The dance performances were spectacular. The dancers performing ‘Sending the Moon’ were light and graceful, each movement full of strength and beauty, inspiring those watching to pursue their dreams with courage and stride forward purposefully in the New Year. Japanese students from year 6 and year 9 danced to the drum beat of an energetic Ryukyuan song. Through the sound of the music, a panorama of Okinawa’s mountains and seas almost seemed to emerge, a poetic vista of blue sea, verdant forest, and white sand, capturing the romance of the island. Every beat plucked on the heartstrings of the audience, winning round after round of applause. The dance ‘Wakawaka’, with its unique and lovely choreography, instantly lit up the atmosphere in the hall, and its cheerful rhythm had the audience in fits of laughter.

The singing performances were brilliant too. The familiar melody of ‘Congratulations’ instantly amplified the happy and enthusiastic New Year atmosphere, as if the hall were transformed into a lively marketplace, overflowing with joy and blessings. In ‘It’s Better Not to See’, the singers interpreted the delicate emotions conveyed in the song exquisitely, fully demonstrating the unique charm of Cantonese song.

Towards the end of the programme, the students sang with gusto. The chorus of ‘Good New Year’ sounded out like a golden wind sending a message of joy and New Year blessings. The clear and melodious voices of the students were a fitting finale to the proceedings, animating the audience and bringing vivid colour to the final moments of the celebration.

“ The east wind shows the afterglow of the celebration and the sun and moon open a new year. On the occasion of the spirit snake dance and the blessings it brings, I wish you all happiness in the New Year, and that like the agile snake, you climb fearlessly on the journey of life, climb high step by step, and harvest the joy of growth. May your happiness be like a bouquet of flowers, your success like shining stars, your pathway fragrant and your journey fruitful.