Spring Festival Memories of China and Scotland

My city, Glasgow, has a surprisingly large Chinese, mainly Cantonese-speaking, population many of whom kept together within their own community. That was before the large Mandarin-speaking student influx of recent years. Most could trace their roots back to Fujian, Hong Kong and Guangdong - the latter twinned at that time with my provincial authority, the former Strathclyde Region. The Chinese New Year was an opportunity when, for a day, almost the entire society would come together in a hall or theatre for a celebration of music, dance performance, opera, great food and much more including the iconic lion dance! I had been introduced to several local community leaders and was soon invited to participate and help in the organisation of the New Year celebrations. An excellent way to become involved with both the long established Chinese groups and the growing student population coming to my city’s fine universities. The events were also a way of sharing Chinese culture and friendship with the general public. It was also an opportunity to savour some delicious food!