Hundreds attend Vancouver’s Lunar New Yr parade as debate persists over Chinatown’s future

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The sounds of rhythmic drumming, cymbals clanging and the rat-tat-tat of firecrackers reverberated by the streets of Vancouver’s Chinatown Sunday in the course of the fiftieth anniversary of the Spring Pageant Parade.

Regardless of persistent rain showers, throngs of individuals — generally three or 4 rows deep — lined the streets to soak within the sight of luminescent yellow and pink dragons, acrobatic lions, pink lanterns hanging from timber, and dance troupes twirling rainbow-coloured umbrellas and followers.

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Coco Kao, who lives in Powell River, mentioned the parade, coinciding with the Lunar New Yr, reminded her of her native Taiwan.

“It jogs my memory of my hometown, which is 1000’s of miles away,” she mentioned.

“The parade is at all times phenomenal. I like the power.”

Surrey couple Danielle De Leon and Emil Sarmiento mentioned it was their first time attending the parade.

“It’s good to see how various the tradition is inside the Chinese language group itself,” De Leon mentioned.

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Lunar New Yr is well known throughout a number of Asian international locations. Its timing varies as it’s primarily based on cycles of the moon. This yr is the Yr of the Dragon.

Beginning on the Millennium Gate and snaking its method down Pender, Gore and Keefer streets, the parade featured a wide range of individuals together with army veterans, members of the St. John Ambulance youth cadet program, martial artists, seniors folks dance troupes, conventional Chinese language drugs practitioners, varied Canada-China friendship associations, and quite a few dignitaries handing out fortunate pink envelopes.

Within the lead-up to the parade, organizers got here underneath scrutiny for excluding sure teams from collaborating, citing, partially, their “political activism.” However organizers reversed course and allowed two of the teams, Chinatown Collectively and Lunar New Yr For All, to take part.

“We perceive it doubtless took numerous braveness for the organizing committee” to alter their minds, mentioned Melody Ma, a group activist and vocal critic of gentrification in Chinatown, forward of the parade.

“For that, we wish to say thanks to the organizing committee.”

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Whereas the teams are nonetheless looking for an apology and a extra clear eligibility course of for future parades, they determined to place politics apart for the day “for the sake of group unity,” Ma mentioned.

Whereas Sunday’s festivities had been a chance for Chinatown to showcase the very best of what it has to supply, the neighbourhood continues to wrestle with many challenges: how one can discover extra culturally acceptable housing for its seniors; how one can handle the speedy decline of greengrocers and butchers; and how one can revitalize the native financial system whereas additionally preserving its tangible and intangible cultural and heritage belongings.

The problems weren’t removed from the minds of many parade watchers.

“I got here right here as a child and this was the hub to get Chinese language merchandise. Now every thing is out within the suburbs. … Lots has modified,” mentioned David, who declined to provide his final title.

David mentioned he had not too long ago travelled to San Francisco and was struck by how that metropolis’s Chinatown was nonetheless “thriving.” He lamented how a number of the social challenges confronting the Downtown Eastside had spilled over into Chinatown.

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Coquitlam couple Eloise Lavatory and Raymond Sheh mentioned they’ve been parade regulars for greater than 50 years.

“We come rain, sleet, snow or hail,” Lavatory mentioned.

Lavatory fondly recalled how her grandfather would deliver her to the parade and the way they’d seize steamed buns and egg tarts. Parade individuals had been so much much less political and company than they’re now, she added.

Whereas she misses seeing a number of the older companies, such because the Chinese language-language printing press on the nook and the Pender Avenue bakery well-known for its apple tarts, she acknowledged that the neighbourhood can’t stay because it as soon as was.

“Life is altering. … Simply with range, it’s OK.”

With recordsdata from Canadian Press

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