2001 CATHAY PACIFIC CHINESE NEW YEAR PARADE DRAWS HUGE CROWDS

 The Year of the Snake was welcomed in style today (24 January) as the 2001 Cathay Pacific Chinese New Year Parade brought the Central-Wan Chai harbourfront alive. More than 250,000 spectators in the Tamar site and surrounding streets were entertained by 13 colourful floats, 12 international and 26 local performing groups.

The spectacular began at 2:00pm with Acting Secretary for Economic Services Ms Maria Kwan, JP, officiating at the opening ceremony. Joining her was Commissioner for Tourism Mrs Rebecca Lai, JP; Overseas Representative of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film & TV Mr Xu Lin Da, HKTA Chairman The Hon Mrs Selina Chow, JP; and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd Director and Chief Operating Officer Mr Philip Chen, JP. Ms Kwan, Mrs Chow and Mr Chen also opened the parade gate.

This year, Shanghai TV was the Official Live Broadcaster in China (other than HKSAR) for the parade, providing live coverage through its satellite channel to more than 1,700 local TV stations in the Mainland. The event was also televised live in Hong Kong by TVB and was available to audiences worldwide through simultaneous transmission on HKTA’s Web site.

The Tamar site buzzed with excitement as the Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Association performed the dance of the “‘five auspicious symbols”’. Mr Tam and Ms Ding Fei-fei, together with Television Broadcasts Ltd artistes, the Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Association, Jean M Wong School of Ballet and the Hong Kong Buddhist Association also wished everyone a healthy and prosperous new year.

Following a route along Lung Wui Road and Fenwick Pier Street to the Hong Hong Convention and Exhibition Centre before returning to the Tamar site, the procession ended at around 3:30pm. After the parade, the floats were placed on display for public viewing at the Tamar site until Friday, 26 January.

Some of the international performing groups will continue to impress residents and visitors with performances tomorrow Thursday, 25 January, at the Tamar site (2:30pm to 4:30pm) and Stanley Plaza (3:00pm to 4:30pm). Admission is free.