Traditional Chinese moon cakes, songs, and dances were all in abundance last weekend at the 11th annual Moon Festival, held inside the University of Manitoba’s Investors Group Athletic Centre. The festival, organized by the Manitoba Chinese Tribune, is Winnipeg’s version of a Chinese mid-autumn tradition, which has been celebrated in one way or another since the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE).
This year’s celebration was made to coincide with a reception at the Fort Garry Hotel hosted by the Chinese Consul General to Canada, Fang Li, to recognize the 64th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Such a reception, hosted by the consul general, has not taken place in Manitoba for 10 years.
Fang’s remarks at the reception focused mostly on China’s anticipated economic ascendancy and Manitoba’s role in Sino-Canadian relations.
“China has become the second-largest trade partner, the second-largest of both export and import markets for Manitoba,” said Fang, who also noted that in the last 10 years, “at least 5,000 Chinese immigrants have settled down in Manitoba.”
In an interview with the Manitoban, Fang said he would like to see more Manitobans venturing to China to pursue post-secondary studies.
“We want to increase the number of Chinese students studying in Canada, but also we want to encourage Canadian students to go to China to study [ . . . ] we have a scholarship program in China, where Canadian students that come over can have their studies paid for by Chinese universities,” said Fang.
When asked about his interactions with Chinese students living in Canada, Fang said that he has two main concerns for them: the quality of the education they are receiving and their safety.
“When I was visiting different universities in Toronto, I spoke not only with the students, but also with [representatives of the schools]. I told them, ‘quality is first, but safety is also first,’” said Fang.
Fang, who formerly served as the Chinese Ambassador to Moldova and maintains his ambassadorial rank, also appeared at the festival where he spoke to the crowd, and performed two songs as the evening’s “mystery guest.”
Manitoba Lieutenant Governor Philip Lee was also in attendance at the Moon Festival, and spoke to the crowd about how the Chinese population in Manitoba, especially at the University of Manitoba, has grown over the years.
The show portion of the festival, which featured emcees speaking in both English and Chinese, featured singers and traditional Chinese instrumentation, as well as choreographed dance routines.
Su Tian, director of community development at the Manitoba Chinese Tribune, who volunteered at the Moon Festival and also helped organize the events, said that the festival is particularly important for Chinese students living in Manitoba away from their families.
“We provide a platform for immigrants to Canada to get together and have a sense of community and a sense of home,” said Tian.
According to Tian, the Moon Festival can be compared, in terms of cultural significance, to Thanksgiving in North America.
Xiaofeng Guan, who serves as chairman of the Manitoba Chinese Tribune, and has been integral in organizing the Moon Festival events from year-to-year, told the Manitoban that attendance at the festival has grown considerably.
“Every year it seems to grow more and more. Last year we had about 1,500, and this year I think we have about 2,000 people,” he said.
Guan says he would like to see the festival grow even more next season.
“We want to see more people here. More people, more fun. Hopefully, more people will come to enjoy the Chinese culture and enjoy our show, and have a good time together.”
Guan agreed with the sentiment expressed by Tian, that the Moon Festival serves a special function for those separated from their relatives back home.
“In Winnipeg, we have a relatively small Chinese community. When a special Chinese event comes, we miss our hometowns even more.”
