Sydney cultural extravaganza helps showcase growing Australia-China ties

About 800 students from more than 30 schools and universities across Australia's New South Wales state impressed a 2,000-strong audience, in a night of song and dance at the 2017 Chinese Language Spectacular cultural performance in the Sydney Town Hall Monday.

In its fourth year, the popular event boasted Chinese- language students showcasing their artistic talent in the packed iconic venue.

Jointly organized by the Confucius Institute at the University of New South Wales and the Chinese Language Teachers Association of New South Wales, this year's extravaganza coincided with the 45th anniversary of the establishment of Australia-China diplomatic relations and continued to celebrate the cultural bridges and educational ties between the two countries.

During the event, Education Counsellor Niu Wenqi of the Chinese Consulate General in Sydney highlighted the "spirit of cultural exchange here in Australia."

"It is exciting to see young people engage with Chinese language and culture, as they are our future. It is through their efforts and understanding that the China-Australia connection will continue to flourish."

In his welcome message for the event, UNSW Confucius Institute Director Laurie Pearcey said this year's spectacular "hopes to build upon the success of previous shows and foster greater enthusiasm for Chinese language and culture."

"It will also be a day that I believe students will remember as a milestone in their learning journey," said Pearcey, who is also Pro-Vice Chancellor, International, UNSW. "Through their performances, they will be connecting with over 5,000 years of both ancient and modern Chinese culture. It is precisely this connection to Chinese culture that will help our young performers build positive China-Australia relations in the future."

Highlights of the show included a guzheng (also known as Chinese zither), drum and fan dance by Rouse Hill Public School, poetry recitation "My Chinese Heart" by the United Mandarin Classroom and a Xiangsheng comedy sketch by Macquarie University.

NSW Chinese Language Teachers Association President Maria Xu said the growing amount of interest in the event and the commitment that teachers and students put in it reflected the phenomenal success of Chinese-language learning in the state and beyond.

"More and more people are learning Chinese. Our teachers, when they graduate, basically have no problem finding jobs within a year. That also shows many schools are offering classes to meet the rising demand for Chinese-language learning."