Calgarians ring in the Year of the Horse in Chinatown

CTV Calgary: The Year of the Horse arrives! Chinese New Year’s festivities in Chinatown are a symbol of the community’s resurgence following flooding. Chris Epp reports.

Thousands of Calgarians gathered at the Chinese Cultural Centre this weekend to celebrate Chinese New Year and to reflect on the previous year and the challenges it presented within Chinatown.

Chinese New Year remains a popular event in Calgary but this year’s celebration carried additional significance. The New Year is symbolic of how Chinatown overcame adversity and the devastation of June’s flooding of the Bow River.

Jianyu Wang, of Westar Travel, says his clientele has returned and business is picking up. The smiling faces of customers are a welcome addition to Chinatown after many homes and businesses were evacuated, and several business owners feared they would never reopen.

“Our company, they lost some customers but now they are coming back,” said Wang. “They come back, walk into our office, see everything’s back, and they’re happy, especially around Chinese New Year.”

Vivian Morgan of the Chinese Cultural Centre says events such as Chinese New Year act as a reminder to Calgarians that Chinatown is open for business.

“It was not easy for the whole Chinatown,” said Morgan. “At this stage, we're back mostly and we're welcoming everyone here to celebrate the New Year with us and to help revitalize the community.”

According to festival organizers, approximately 20,000 people took part in the Chinese New Year celebration in Chinatown.