Dragonboat Performance Festival 龍舟表演節/端午節慶祝 2022

Poster in PDF

Chinese Association of Southampton is in partnership with Red Dragonfly Productions to host the Dragonboat Performance Festival at Southampton Guildhall Square from Friday 10/6 to Sunday 12/6. Come to join us for the celebration of Chinese/Asian Arts and Culture with unique performances and activities. A 120-seat pop-up Rotunda Theatre will be constructed at Southampton Guildhall Square. Shows and activities inside our pop-up Rotunda Theatre are free. However, the number of seats inside the Rotunda Theatre is limited. First priority will be given to participants who have booked their tickets using eventbrite.

南安普敦華人協會與紅蜻蜓製作公司合作，於6月10日（週五）至6月12日（周日）在南安普敦市政廳廣場（Guildhall Square）舉辦 龍舟表演節/端午節慶祝。歡迎過來參加我們的獨特表演和活動，共同慶祝中國/亞洲的藝術和文化。屆時，市政廳廣場將有一個120個座位半圓形網格穹頂快閃式劇場。在半圓劇院內的演出和活動都是免費的（除了MAST劇院內的表演），然而由於圓形劇場座位有限，在Eventbrite預訂了 門票的參與者將獲得優先資格入場。

Friday 10/6/2022 booking for free shows at Eventbrite: here 【預定週五免費門票】

Saturday 11/6/2022 booking for free shows at Eventbrite: here【預定週六免費門票】

Sunday 12/6/2022 booking for free shows at Eventbrite: here【預定週日免費門票】

You are also encouraged to join two accompany shows inside the MAST Studios:

1. Saturday 11 June 3:30pm (1 hour) at MAST Studio 2 (Tickets £5)
   Taking Flight presents ‘What’s Best For Jada’ by Alex Blanc
   
   Red Dragonfly Productions is proud to present the rehearsed reading of ‘Taking Flight Festival’ New Writing Competition’s Winning play – ‘What’s Best for Jada’ by emerging British-Chinese playwright Alex Blanc.
   
   Jada’s parents are no longer together. She plays legos with her dad Richard, as he and his new partner Claire shower her with horse-riding lessons and days out in Chessington. Jada’s mum Marie disapproves from a distance. Whilst Richard rejects his Chinese upbringing, Marie embraces it providing what she believes is important, money for Jada’s education, healthcare and upkeep. Parenting isn’t easy, co-parenting is even harder – but they know what’s best for Jada and everything they do is for her – or is it?
   
   Supported by funding from Arts Council England. Tickets for “What’s Best for Jada” are available here.
   
   
2. Sunday 12 June 3:30pm (1 hour) at MAST STudio 2 (Tickets £10)
   The Ballad of Mulan by Red Dragonfly Productions
   
   Woman, warrior, legend. For ten years Mulan disguised as a man, has fought for the Chinese Empire. Now the fighting is coming to an end, one last battle and she will be going home – but can she return to her old life, become a woman again. A search for identity in a violent world.
   
   Commissioned by and performed by British-Chinese actress Michelle Yim, developed with the support and funding from Arts Council England. Produced by the team behind Edfringe Sell-Out ‘The Unknown Soldier’ Grist to the Mill, in collaboration with British East Asian theatre company Red Dragonfly Productions, we bring you the real Chinese heroine that inspired Disney’s animation and live-feature Mulan. ‘A powerful exploration of gender, war, and identity, as relevant and timely today as ever. Expect a little humour, a lot of heart and a refreshing focus on the darker aspects of a familiar tale’ ★★★★ Tulpa Magaine, Adelaide Fringe.
   
   Tickets for ‘The Ballad of Mulan’ are available here.

There are also two workshops in a marquee: 1:00pm-3:15pm on Saturday and Sunday

1. Chinese Calligraphy 書法	2. Chinese Chess 中國象棋

Announcement at the Visit Southampton Website

Summary of the Event

The celebration of the Chinese Dragonboat Festival at Southampton’s Guildhall Square is one of the oldest festivals, not only in China but also throughout the world, with a history of more than 2,000 years. The three-day festival from Friday 10th to Sunday12th of June, has been inspired by the bid for Southampton to be the UK City of Culture for 2025 and further invigorated by the grand celebration of Her Majesty, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee just a week earlier. 

Produced by the Chinese Association of  Southampton in conjunction with the Red Dragonfly Productions, the festival was launched with a colourful Dragon Dance on Friday, with a welcome address from the worshipful Mayor of Southampton, Cllr Jacqui Raymond, who enthusiastically encouraged diversity of  culture to enhance the City of Southampton. The launch was also co-opened by Prof. Michael Butler, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Southampton. The rotunda theatre erected for the celebration soon filled with local participants and an audience greatly appreciative of the talented performers, whose stories, songs and dance embrace ancient Chinese culture and musical instrument as well as modern entertainment of Line Dancing, Bollywood-style Asian dance and Qipao-costumed Fan Dance, culminating in the performance at the MAST Mayflower Theatre on Sunday, of the legendary Ballad of Mulan that inspired a Disney film production.

活動概要

在南安普敦市政廳廣場舉行的中國端午節/龍舟節 慶祝活動是最古老的節日之一，不僅在中國，而且在全世界，已有 2000 多年的歷史。南安普敦爭取 2025 年成為英國文化之城 和 女王陛下白金禧年的盛大慶祝活動 啟發了 這個為期三天的節日，從 6 月 10 日星期五到 6 月 12 日星期日。

Chinese Legend of Dragonboat Festival

Before the unification of China under the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) the Dragon Boat Festival commemorated the death of Qu Yuan, a Chu state official and poet who lived during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).  He was exiled after opposing his king’s decision to ally with the neighbouring state of Qin.  Then, when Chu was finally conquered by Qin, he committed suicide by drowning in the River Miluo on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which falls on June 9th this year.

It is said the people, who admired Qu Yuan for his loyalty and integrity, started dragon boat racing to scare off the fish and threw food into the water to distract the fish from eating Qu Yuan’s body. Since then, people hold boat races and prepare zongzi (sticky rice dumplings in bamboo leaves) in memory of Qu’s righteousness and his beautiful poems. 

Originally Dragon Boats were used for religious purposes to appease the rain gods, each boat painted with scales with an ornately carved dragon’s head at the bow and a tail in the stern. The paddles symbolically represent the dragon’s claws with drumbeats representing the heart.

最初，龍舟被用於宗教目的以安撫雨神，每艘船都塗有鱗片，船頭有雕刻華麗的龍頭，船尾有一條龍尾。槳象徵性地代表龍的爪子，鼓聲代表心臟。

Photos and videos 照片和視頻:

• Friday 10/6/2022
• Saturday 11/6/2022
• Sunday 12/6/2022

Media coverage 媒體報導:

• Daily Echo
• BBC South