Chinese New Year Celebrations
Join Manchester Museum to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year 2021 as we welcome the Year of the Ox, a symbol of strength and determination.
Through an online programme we offer a range of activities from a dance class for seniors to a family friendly home make over inspired by New Year decorations. Sign up for a webinar with the Manchester China Institute to explore the historical horticultural connections between China and Europe or watch a stunning dance performances from our talented colleagues from Xinhua Chinese Association. There are also mouth-watering cooking demonstrations; download the recipe sheet and instructions and follow the film.
Find out what’s happening around the city to help you celebrate the New Lunar Year.
Manchester Museum
Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery
Manchester Museum’s new Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery, opening in August 2022, will be dedicated to building understanding and empathy between cultures.
Thursday 11 February
Let's Dance
A Dance programme for Museum Movers of all abilities
Manchester Museum partners with Dance Practitioner and Culture Champion Hazel Roy to offer a series of fun, uplifting and age friendly online Dance Lessons.
Join us for a Chinese New Year inspired session.
方言拜年
CNY Dialect Greetings
There are actually multiple ways to wish friends, family, colleagues or people you meet a Happy Chinese New Year. As with many languages, which greeting you use will depend on who you are addressing and how.
Friday 12 February
Food for a
Festive Feast
New Year is about celebration, family and food. Join two of our friends from Xinhua Chinese Association as they show you how to make two mouth watering traditional Chinese dishes.
Download the list of ingredients and follow the demonstration in your own time.
Saturday 13 February
Chinese New Year: Home Makeover
Join us as we create all the essentials to decorate your home for Chinese New Year. We’ll be showing you how to make Chinese Lanterns, Chinese Fans and Red Envelops to welcome in the Year of the Ox.
Free, Zoom, for families - child, children ages 7+ and accompanying parents and carers. Spaces are limited.
Sunday 14 February
Jasmine Dance
Xinhua Chinese Association Dance Group
XCA has well reputed Choir and Dance Groups, and working with the Orient Silk and Bomboo Music Bond, promote Chinese Culture and celebrate key festivals in the Chinese calendar.
Where the Time Has Gone
Please enjoy the Six-tone Chorus by the XCA Choir of "Where has the time gone?"
This song was firstly sung by a father at the 2014 Spring Festival Gala in CCTV. Because the beautiful melody was deeply adored by many Chinese parents, it has been very popular in China.
Tuesday 16 February
Manchester China Institute and Manchester Museum Webinar
Join Dr Alison Hardie at 12.30pm, who explores the relationship between China and Northern Europe from the perspective of plants, gardens, and garden architecture, focusing particularly on Scotland, Sweden, and Russia.
Monday 22 February
Mandarin Tasters with Manchester Confucius Institute
Join in some fun language taster sessions to learn some words and phrases, like how to greet someone and how to count in Mandarin Chinese. This informal, fun and interactive session will be delivered via Zoom by one of our native Confucius Institute teachers.
Monday, 22 Feb 2021; 12:30 – 13:30
Sunday 28 February
The Multilingual Museum
part of IMLD Festival 2021
Join us for an interactive event that brings together Multilingual Manchester, Manchester Museum and Manchester Libraries to celebrate Manchester’s language diversity on the occasion of UNESCO International Mother Language Day.
Available now
UK- China Photo Competition
2021年英中摄影大赛
For the third year running, the Manchester China Institute (MCI) and Creative Manchester (CM) will co-host the UK-China International Photography Competition. ‘Caring’ is the theme for this year’s competition, held from Monday 1 March to Monday 3 May 2021.
Manchester Museum Podcast
What stories are hidden in everyday objects and why is telling these stories so important? In this episode we speak with Dr Denise Kwan, an artist, writer, and art lecturer whose project ‘Object-Stories of British Chinese Women’ tells the journeys of diasporic Chinese women in the UK through their everyday objects.
Around the City
Manchester China Institute
MCI hosts lunchtime seminars, early career researcher [ECR] workshops, book launches, and informal salons.
See the full list of events.
Red Lanterns Decorations
Spot red lanterns across Manchester City Centre.
Organiser: Visit Manchester
Event location: Manchester City Centre, Greater Manchester
Starts: 12 Feb 2021 Ends: 14 Feb 2021
All ages, free, no booking required
CNY Festival Celebrations
Online activities including: Kung Fu & Lion Dance by ChiMo, tai chi demonstration by Weli Yue of Chen’s Style Tai Chi Centre, singing and dancing by Jenny Wang and ShuLan College of Chinese Medicine, and quizzes.
Lantern Making Workshop
Lantern making workshop with artist Stephanie Jong using simple, readily available materials you can find at home.
Poetry Reading
To celebrate the launch of the brand new Chinese Language Poetry Collection at Manchester Poetry Library, three UK-based poets Kit Fan, Jennifer Lee Tsai and Natalie Linh Bolderston will be reading poems which explore urgent questions on race and identity
Vote for Your Favourite Chinese New Year Performances
Watch and vote for your favourite performances from FCAM ‘CNY 2021 Online Showcase’ which may include dance performances, singing, music, food-making, and other creative short films.
Online CNY Festival Resources
Manchester Confucius Institute will be sharing video content to get you in the celebratory spirit! With activities from festive paper lantern making, the Story of Nian, the Chinese New Year festival legend to a beautiful Guzheng performance.