On Sunday 7 February 2020, the Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield, in collaboration with the Sheffield Spring Festival Gala Organizing Committee, co-hosted the 2021 Sheffield Online Spring Festival Gala.
The Sheffield Spring Festival Gala provided a chance for everyone to come together and celebrate the Year of the Ox.
This year also marks the eighteenth year that the Spring Festival Gala has been organised in Sheffield and usually takes place at the impressive Sheffield City Hall. Due to Covid-19, the Gala took place online and was livestreamed on platforms such as YouTube & Bilibili.
Lord-Lieutenant in South Yorkshire Andrew Coombe, University of Sheffield Vice-President of Global Engagement Malcolm Butler, Manchester Consul-General Zheng Xiyuan and Sheffield Spring Festival Gala Honorary Chairman Jerry Cheung were invited to give speeches at the Gala Opening Ceremony, alongside other local dignitaries.
The Gala featured an incredible line-up of performances, including traditional dance, acrobatics, orchestras, and a variety of singers from around the world.
The show featured work from Wanlin Dance Academy, Nanjing University National Orchestra, Jiangxi Acrobatic Troupe and Manchester University Choir.
The performances showcased a refreshing integration of Chinese art into dance and music acts, which in turn gave off a sense of timelessness in each performance.
Later on in the Gala, a sequence showed shots of Sheffield during the pandemic and videos of Chinese students around the UK sending New Year greetings to their families and compatriots.
This, in turn highlighted the positive spirit of everyone living in and around Sheffield, while also overcoming the pandemic.
The Sheffield Spring Festival Gala entered its eighteenth year in 2021 and in previous years, attracted audiences of nearly 3,000 who gathered in Sheffield City Hall to watch the spectacular performance.
This year, the Gala premiered on online platforms Youtube & Bilibili and was played back on other well-known platforms such as Watermelon, Tencent and iQiyi.
The online Gala has received thousands of views, both home and abroad, and this number continues to increase day by day.