Fish & Dragon Festival dazzles with cultural fusion
People in Barbados have given the Chinese New Year a new name, the "Fish and Dragon Festival," symbolizing the "fish" in the Caribbean Sea and the "dragon" from China. Launched in 2015, various activities presented in the Festival help promote a better understanding between the two cultures.
In a spectacular display of cross-cultural harmony, the 11th annual Fish & Dragon Festival transformed Wildey Gymnasium into a vibrant tapestry of Chinese and Barbadian traditions on Sunday January 19.
As the Year of the Snake slithered in, thousands of attendees were treated to a sensory feast of acrobatics, music, and culinary delights, showcasing the best of both worlds in an unforgettable celebration.
High flyers
Members of the Zhejiang Wu Opera Troupe astound the audience with a breathtaking human pyramid during their performance at the Fish & Dragon Festival at the Wildey Gymnasium on Sunday. The troupe’s hour-long spectacle, including intricate costumes and impressive acrobatics such as this ‘Monkey Man’ performance, captivated festival-goers with its blend of traditional Chinese artistry and daring physical feats.
China-Barbados cultural ties celebrated at Fish and Dragon Festival
Barbados and China’s shared cultural heritage took centre stage at the 11th Fish and Dragon Festival Gala on Monday evening January 2025, highlighting the growing appreciation of Bajan traditions worldwide and introducing Chinese opera to the island.
Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy, HUANG Xinhua, highlighted the cultural connections between Beijing and Bridgetown.
Drawing parallels between the sense of reunion that characterises the Chinese Spring Festival and Barbados’ We Gatherin’ initiative, he highlighted shared customs such as kite flying and stilt walking.
Confucius Institute Progamme for 2025
Classes currently being offered by the institute are:
Beginners Mandarin Classes will be held on Tuesdays, from 3:40 – 5:10 P.M, commencing January 28, 2025. Deadline to register is January 24, 2025. V.I.P. classes will be mutually determined by the student and instructor.
Taste of Chinese Culture classes will be held on Mondays from 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. and Tuesdays, from 7:00 – 9:00 P.M, beginning February 3, 2025. Each module/topic is held for both days. Registration closes one (1) week before commencement.
HSK3 Preparation Class will be held on Saturdays, from 9:30 – 11:30 A.M., commencing April 1, 2025. Registration deadline is January 29, 2025.
Modern Mandarin Communication will be held on Wednesdays, from 5:30 – 6:30 P.M., beginning January 28, 2025. The deadline to register was January 24, 2025.
The courses are all very affordable. For information on registration email the institute at confuciusinstitute@cavehill.uwi.edu.
I'm back! And we have a lot in store for this year so buckle up!
From Joshua Johnson in Beijing, Jan 21, 2025.
Joshua led the ABCF delegation to the 70th anniversary celebrations of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries last year, and he is Youth Representative on the Council of the Federation of Latin American and Caribbean Associations for Friendship with the People’s Republic of China (FALCARPC, for its initials in Spanish).
Strolling down the streets of almost any city in China, one is sure to encounter a familiar sight: electric bike riders in bright yellow or blue uniforms, weaving through cars and pedestrians with bags of meals strapped to their vehicles.
They are delivery workers, the backbone of China's new urban life and the world's largest online food delivery market -- a multi-billion-dollar industry that has evolved from a niche service to transform how millions of people work and dine.
If this Canadian is shocked by Red Note, I am shocked by the Red Note effect (substack.com)
Just saw this video and can not help sharing with you. The TikTok Refugees’s signing up Red Note became a significant event in China’s foreign relations.
Please listen to what this man said. I am really shocked that the ban (actually not yet, just a consideration) totally changed the relations between China and people in other countres. The U.S. government never expected this, I am sure.
This is a #Connectivity era. More unexpected things will happen. We must realize the power of connectivity.
I am your Chinese spy. Show me your cat. - by Yuxuan JIA (eastisread.com)
Just yesterday, I woke up as an ordinary Xiaohongshu (RedNote) user—an innocent scroll through the app to catch up on China and the broader Chinese-speaking world. What I didn't expect was the sudden flood of "TikTok refugees," with their posts saying "Nihao," making their way to the shores of this genuinely Chinese app. The U.S. TikTokers, spooked by the impending TikTok ban over accusations of the app sharing their data with China, have found a new home in Xiaohongshu.
And what a scene it is! According to Reuters, over half a million TikTok exiles have already set up camp in Xiaohongshu, or literally, "Little Red Book"—an app whose name alone suggests a revolution in social media. What followed was nothing short of art—these fresh-faced American users, struggling with their translation software, producing Chinese translations that are less "fluent" and more "well-meaning but lost in translation."…
So far, the glorious absurdity of these TikTok refugees has already accomplished something remarkable: it has made ordinary citizens in China and the U.S. actually talk to each other. Talk! Not just governments or diplomats in their sterile chambers, but real, living, breathing humans, who, despite their different languages, are saying the same thing: the timeless, primal desire for a better life. And isn't that what it's all about? Isn't that the shared humanity we all secretly yearn for? Beneath the layers of geopolitical noise and global theatre, that's the simple truth we all hold in common.
Welcome to our new subscribers
Thanks for joining our mailing list for weekly updates from the ABCF. This issue is a good example of the variety of items we share every week. They include activities of the association and of our partners in Barbados, the Confucius Institute, the Chinese Association of Barbados, the Chinese embassy here, and the Association of Returned Students. We also carry information on our regional and international partners, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Federation of Latin American and Caribbean Associations for Friendship with China and Zhejiang International Studies University. The newsletter also carries news about the lives and activity of Chinese people, stories that you will not normally find in other media, such as the food delivery story in this issue. We invite subscribers to send us items of interest for inclusion.
This weekly newsletter is put together by DeLisle Worrell, President of the ABCF. Visit us at Association for Barbados China Friendship | (abcf-bb.com).
Thanks to everyone who sent contributions for this week’s Update. Please send items of interest to me via the contact page at ABCF-BB.com or to info@DeLisleWorrell.com.
The ABCF mission is to build a deeper understanding between the Chinese people and Barbadians and Caribbean people from all walks of life. The association’s focus is on personal experiences, people-to-people contact, cultural exchanges and exchanges of ideas, and the facilitation of travel, business and study. From the outset we aim to learn from and build on the experiences of the Caribbean and China, and to develop mutual understandings and support that will be to the benefit of both sides.
