Ross-shire ready to welcome Chinese New Year; Highland banquet to celebrate arrival of Year of the Rat; China's consul general heading for Highlands
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The Highland capital will welcome in the Chinese New Year in the company of China’s consul general to Scotland, Ma Qiang.
And scores of people from Ross-shire are expected to join the fun and an eagerly anticipated New Year banquet being staged on Monday next week.
It will be the first time that China’s top diplomatic representative in Scotland has joined the north’s Chinese community and guests for their new year celebrations.
Monica Lee-Macpherson, the chairwoman of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and Moray Chinese Association (SHIMCA), which organises lion dance parades in Inverness, Nairn and Elgin sees the presence of the consul general – who only took up his post last month – as an acknowledgement of the strong Chinese community in the north.
“My passion is to show that we have a thriving community here and that people here are really interested in Chinese culture,” said Mrs Lee-Macpherson.
The new year banquet, a joyful, bustling occasion featuring entertainment and bringing different cultures together, has gone from strength to strength in recent years and been a big hit with folk across Ross-shire.
"We have people who come from Dingwall, Alness, Invergordon and Tain," said Mrs Lee-Macpherson. "The dinner brings people together and everyone loves to see the Lion Dance."
She revealed that some tickets for the dinner are still available.
She has responded to interest in Chinese culture by giving talks to schools and local groups.
That interest in Chinese culture includes busy Mandarin classes for both adults and children, and the younger students will play an important part in the celebrations to welcome the Year of the Rat on Monday.
The Inverness lion dance parade, which has been an annual fixture since 2006, begins at the foot of the Market Brae Steps at 5.15pm, but before that the consul general will judge a painting competition for local schools.
The lion dance parade will be followed by a traditional 11-course Chinese banquet held in Jimmy Chung’s restaurant overlooking the River Ness, with entertainment from the lion dancers, local children and folk singer Andy Chung.
“The Year of the Rat is a good year,” Mrs Lee-Macpherson said. “The rat is a born survivor, and we all need a bit of that!”
To find out how to buy tickets for the Chinese New Year dinner on Monday evening, see here.
