Carnival cancellation no problem for pipa players
The cancellation of a carnival couldn't put a stopper in celebrations of Chinese art and culture over the weekend.
Over 100 people gathered together to celebrate Chinese culture at an event on Saturday. The festivities were intended to take place as part of the Telford Carnival, but the parade was scrapped due to the heatwave.
The hot weather couldn't deter members of Telford's Chinese Arts and Culture Centre, many of whom were meeting for the first time since the pandemic.
Grace Tong, director of the Chinese Arts and Culture Centre said the event was a "wonderful celebration" of China's culture, with musical performances, dancing and home-cooked food available for revellers.
Front and centre of the celebration was a performance of traditional music on the pipa, a type of lute that has been played for almost two thousand years in China.
The group were joined by an internationally renowned pipa virtuoso, Dr. Cheng Yu and operatic soprano, Chen Wang, who had both been leading classes for members throughout the pandemic.
Grace added: "We've been meeting and learning online so we don't get to see each other. Even though the parade was cancelled, it was good to gather with teachers and students to perform and celebrate."
The Chinese Arts and Culture Centre will be taking part in the rescheduled 'We are Telford' carnival parade, which is due to take place at the Balloon Festival in late August.
