2018 Chinese Cultural Heritage Festival and the 10th Vancouver Water Splashing Festival Completed Su

With another scorching weekend came up in Vancouver area, more than 25,000 residents had a lot of fun at the 2018 Chinese Cultural Heritage Festival, and were soaked in luck and fortuneand cooled off the Sunday, July 29, at the 10th annual Vancouver Water Splashing Festival, held at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the outdoor family-friendly event celebrated Canadian multiculturalism, celebrated Chinese cultural heritage, and strengthened the cultural and economic relationship between Canada and China.

Supported by the City of Burnaby, the annual festival was organized by the Canadian Community Service Association (CCSA), sponsored by AimForce Development Group, and hosted by the Chinese Construction and Renovation Association of Canada (CCRAC) and HelloButler.com.

At a press conference on July 10, 2018 at Burnaby City Hall, City of Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan officially announced that the Chinese Cultural Heritage Week would run from July 23 to July 29, then he presented the “2018 Chinese Heritage Culture Week” certificate to CCSA President Harris Niu. Along with a formal plaque ceremony on Sunday, the 2018 Chinese Cultural Heritage Festival and the 10thVancouver Water Splashing Festival further enhanced the co-operation between ethnic groups and communities, and promoted the development of Canadian multiculturalism.

Harris Niu, the president of Canada Community Service Association, gave the welcome speech. Premier John Horgan, MP Peter Julian, MLA Katrina Chen, MLA Anne Kang,Mayor Derek Corrigan, Xu Hong, Kirby James, Jeff Jiang, Kenny Gu, Vera Pan, and more honoured guests attended the event and gave important speeches. They all thought highly about this festival, they appreciated the organizing staff, volunteer, performers and participants’ great contribution, and they sent their best wishes to a very successful event.

Activities throughout the day were under five main themes:

• Connecting the Past, featured traditional Chinese games, including hoop rolling, skipping rope, tug-of-war and more;

• Folk Artists, unique creations from paper cutting art, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese painting, Chinese traditional opera and more;

• Traditional Arts, included seven hours of non-stop live entertainment on the main stage, which includes singing, dancing, poetry, Chinese gongfu and more;

• A Taste of China, enticed festival goers with mouth-watering classic Chinese food, available throughout the day;

• Water Splashing, capped off the day-long festivities, as attendees got to cool off in the fun-filled tradition of getting soaked in luck and fortune!

There were more than two dozen wading pools set up at the stadium’s edge. As soon as the official water-splashing got underway, many kids, seniors, adults were enjoying the pools, drenching and soaking each other with pails, buckets and water guns. Throwing each other water and in a dash of auspicious fortune in the mix, the goal was to get drenched. The wetter you were, the more luck was showered upon you. Water Splashing Festival was inspired by an important festival celebrated by the Dai people, one of China’s minority tribes, in the southwestern Yunnan province where over a million people participate annually.

Thousands and hundreds of spectators sitting in the sheltered stands were entertained by dance troupes and musical performers. Traditional Chinese dancing and singing; women in traditional qipao or cheongsam dresses; kids dressed in colourful costumes that glittered in the sunlight; people originally from China, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Europe, South or North America and more gave rousing performances. Four emcees, Peter Liu, Bonnie Chen, Richard and Liang Hui hosted the live show in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

Seemingly oblivious to the heat, groups of young and old people played volleyball in outdoor courts. Nearby, cheers rang out as many people raced against each other in the traditional Chinese hoop-rolling game, skipping rope, tug-of-war and more.

The 4 traditional Culture booths were packed with people, enjoying Chinese calligraphy, Chinese painting, Chinese paper cutting art, Chinese traditional opera, Prize-winning guessing game and more. Lineups were long in front of the 8 free doctor venues as well as 100ish more other venues.

Another biggest draw at the festival was the classic Chinese food. Thousands and hundreds of people were waiting in lines for Chinese barbecue skewers of lamb, chicken, pork and beef, Chinese crepes, milk tea, cotton candy and more from the food vendors.

Burnaby Fire Department, Burnaby RCMP, Burnaby Art Gallery, Burnaby School Board, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations, CCSA Seniors Association, Korean Traditional Arts Society, WS Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society, Chinese Canadian Pen Centre, Canada Chinese Poetry Association and 300ish more organizations participated in this festival and played important roles.

WS Multicultural Writers read 4 Tang Shi (classic Chinese traditional poems) at this main festival stage in Mandarin, Cantonese and English with a group of 30 writers who originally came from China, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Europe, South or North America.

Then WS Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society joined the formal plaque ceremony, and organized the 4 Chinese traditional Culture booths.

Sophia Zhang, Chair of WS Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society, also a board of directors for Canada Community Service Association, and has been in charge of communication and media for the 2018 Chinese Cultural Heritage Festival and the 10th Vancouver Water Splashing Festival from scratch over the months.

Huge thanks Harris Niu, Pu Xiang, Xu Hong, Jeff Jiang, Kenny Gu, Liu Di, Ma Li, Guo Hong, International Federation of Painting and Calligraphy Development, and each and every of you on the festival organizing committee; Thanks to all the honoured guests, to all the support organizations, to all the performers, to all the media friends, and all the volunteers! Without each and every of you, this festival wouldn't be so successful.

Guest of Honour List for 2018 Chinese Cultural Heritage Festival and the 10thVancouver Water Splashing Festival:

Pu Xiang, Founding President, Canada Community Service Association

Niu Hua, President, Canada Community Service Association

Xu Hong, Zhu Shuixing, Yang Zhiping, Executive Presidents, Canada Community Service Association

John Horgan, BC Premier

Tong Xiaoling Ling, Consul General, Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Vancouver

Wang Chengjun, Deputy Consul General, Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Vancouver

Wang Jin, Wang Ning, Shi Chenyong, Consul, Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Vancouver

David Guo and Vera Pan, AimForce Development

Peter Julian, MP for New Westminster—Burnaby

Bruce Ralston, MLA for Surrey-Whalley, BC Minister of Jobs, Trade, and Technology

Katrina Chen, MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed, Minister of State for Child Care

Raj Chouhan, MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds

Anne Kang, MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake, Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors

Derek Corrigan, Mayor, City of Burnaby

Richard Stewart, Mayor, City of Coquitlam

Paul McDonell, Pietro Calendino, James Wang, Sav Dhaliwal, Councillors, City of Burnaby

Baljinder Narang, Larry Hayes, School Trustees, City of Burnaby

He Zhirong, School Trestee, City of Richmond

Byong G. Suh, Consul, Bulgaria in Vancouver

Al Richmond, FormerChairman for Cariboo Regional

Kirby James, Chairman of the Burnaby Hospital Foundation

James Huang, President, Western Canada Korean Chamber of Commerce

Guo Hong, Co-chairman of the organizing committee, 2018 CCHF and the 10th VWSF

Yu-Han, Representative, International Federation of Painting and Calligraphy Development

Chen Yongtao, Executive Chairman, Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations

Chen Azhong, Vide Executive President, Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations

Wu Junyu, The First Vice Chairman, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association

Yang Xinglin, Chairman, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Foundation

Wang Yuanlong, Vice Chairman, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association

Wang Bin, Vice Chairman, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association

Zhu Zhanlun, Honorary Chairman, Vice Chairman, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association

…

Organizing Committee for 2018 Chinese Cultural Heritage Festival and the 10thVancouver Water Splashing Festival:

Chair: Xu Hong

Executive Chair: Harris Hua Niu

Honorary Chair: Pu Xiang

Co-Chairs: Ma Li, Guo Hong，International Federation of Painting and Calligraphy Development

Chief Coordinator: Jeff Hao Jiang

Chief Planner: Kenny Jungang Gu

General Director: Liu Di

Communication and Media: Sophia Xinyuan Zhang

General Coordinator: Cheng Lu

Programme: Changjun Fu, Mary Sun, Melissa Zhang

Sound and Stage: Fu Changjun

Moderators: Peter Hai Liu, Hui Liang, Bonnie Chen

Back Stage Coordinators: Juan-Zi, Mai-Qi

Booklet: Bingbing Shao

Booth Coordinator: Sheena

Booth Planner: Sun Hang, Guo Rong, Ma Xiaomao

Site Coordinator: Da-Bao

Volunteer Coordinator: Da-De

Volunteer Planner: Wan-Long

Logistics Coordinator: Jiang Bo

Game Coordinator: Ran Jun

Transportation Coordinator: A-Qun

Thanks to Media Who Has Reported this Festival:

1. City of Burnaby Website

2. Global News

3. Talentvision TV

4. Fairchild TV

5. Omni Television

6. Canada Wow TV

7. Vancouver Sun

8. Burnaby Now

9. Sing Tao Daily

10. Ming Pao Newspapers

11. Dawa News

12. Global Chinese Press

13. Macao Daily

14. Sohu

15. CCSA Media

16. CCSA Facebook

17. CCSA Twitter

18. CCSA Google+

19. CCSA YouTube

20. Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association website

21. WS Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society website

22. WS Media

23. Columbia Media

24. Dailyhive

25. Lahoo

26. Rise Weekly

27. Herland Weekly

28. BCBay

29. Canada City Post

30. Vanzsnews

31. Mingshengbao

32. The Vancouver Journal

33. Canadian City Post

34. Vancoolver

35. Cbeiji

36. What's in Media Group

37. Fairchild Radio

38. 604City

39. Vansky

40. Craigslist

41. Careerengine

42. Xuehua US

43. Live Stream Vancouver vimeo

44. Sophia Zhang YouTube

45. Tangshao YouTube

46. Kam Oi CheungYouTube

47. Bailey YangYouTube

48. Canadian Association of Chinese Photographers

49. White Photographers

50. CCSA Seniors Photographers...