The sound of our hometown has not changed and our feelings remain the same

The 4th "Feng Hua Xue Yue" Chinese New Year Gala in Montreal was held on January 19, 2020 at Le centre Pierre-Péladeau and was a great success!

Text/ Jin Jing

A group photo of the guests, some members of the organising committee and the cast and crew

"Feng Hua Xue Yue" - The 4th edition of the "Taste of Home" Chinese New Year Gala in Montreal (2020) Official Full Version Video

The smell of New Year in January is getting thicker and thicker, and the photo album of memories is gradually opening up ...... in the New Year abroad, is over in the heart, always connected with the past relatives, parents, brothers and sisters, great uncles and aunts, the past is like smoke, vivid in the memory. The New Year is a time to return to them and gather together again. No matter how the past years are, what is left behind are memories as pure as snow, passions as joyful as spring, and also deep thoughts of my parents in their twilight years, and with a week to go before New Year, the thought of this is like smelling "the smell of home" and instantly brings tears to my eyes.

On the 19th of January, I was holding the brochure of the 4th Maple Flower and Snow Music Spring Festival in my hands. The four big words in the middle of it, ---- "The Taste of Home", were so warm that they could melt the snowstorm in Mengcheng, making me, no matter how far away from home or how long I have been drifting, the fond memories of the New Year came flooding back to me at this moment.

The Chinese New Year Overture by Zhang Yan's Yangqin Studio and the Confucius School Folk Ensemble opened the door to home and gave us a sense of the simplicity and beauty of the music that came to us. The combination of instruments produced a rich and colourful music, with a beautiful and gorgeous style of music that was rich and gorgeous.

The Chinese New Year Overture has long since melted into people's hearts and blood, and whenever the familiar melody plays, it not only reminds us to welcome the new year, but also makes the seed of reunion take root in our hearts. Afterwards, the Confucius Folk Ensemble performed 'Big Fish', a vast and ethereal piece that pierced the heart like a poem, with a touch of classical sorrow from traditional Chinese culture.

As we travel around the world, our hometown is always in our dreams. Let the city leave its memories and let people remember their nostalgia. The song "Nostalgia" by tenor singer Zhang Han of Mengcheng sings about his deep love for his hometown, "Nostalgia is a bowl of water, nostalgia is a cup of wine, nostalgia is a cloud, nostalgia is a lifetime of love".

Women in cheongsam are a moving book, carrying the splendour of our 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation. In the "When Classical Meets Fashion" show, 14 women from the Wenyuan Qingfeng Art Troupe wore cheongsam from the Celadon series, allowing all those who love this culture to understand the stunning, changing sentiments that are fixed in time and space, walking in a moderate manner, not seeming to be flamboyant, but with an aura that is captivating.

The professional pace of instructor Helen Jiang and the gracefulness and elegance of her hands and feet made the audience feel the dark fragrance of the years and the quietness of the years.

The fourteen lovely children from the North American Wenyuan Children's Modeling Art Group then took to the stage one by one to cheerful music, confidently walking on the stage and changing various poses freely, adoring the whole audience and showing the innocent, lovely, sunny and lively pure beauty of the little models.

The Rousskiye Uzory Dance Team presented Russian folk scene dance, Mexican ballet "Swan Lake", Quebec special art dance "Saguenay", Caribbean dance "The Dance of Nations", Lebanese family drama "Derbake" and Colombian modern dance "Ven Pronto".

The dances show the beauty of the unity of nature, the talent of all ethnic groups to sing and dance, and the "symphony" of national cultures. The colourful dances showed the harmony of multi-ethnic cultures, and the beautiful songs were the chords of the various "voices" of the extended family. The audience applauded the wonderful performances.

The Peking Opera Quebec's performance of the national treasure "Tai Zhen Wai Chuan" was a magnificent spectacle, with its twists and turns and moving performances. Through the interpretation of historical stories, people were subliminally made to feel the classic culture of the Chinese nation.

Mr Xu played "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Spring in Xinjiang" with his students. Mr Xu's natural and sweet sounding violin performance, with a sobbing and heartfelt vocal line, combined with his superb and excellent technique, allowed us to enjoy the poetic and picturesque mood of the familiar melodies, and he also passed on his superb skills to his students, allowing the audience to listen to a beautiful group violin performance.

The costume poetry performance "Colourful Rhyme" performed by the Hua Cai Feng Yun Art Troupe from Ottawa featured sixteen women who demonstrated the artistic charm and wearing effect of Chinese costumes through stylised appearances, interpreting the soul of the costumes and conveying their inner vitality and their unique style to the audience, who were enchanted by the inner beauty expressed by the costumes.

Shu Qin, a famous singer from Montreal city, sang "Final Faith" with deep emotion. Shu Qin's unique vocal line always creates a tender and sad feeling, low, mellow, gentle and feminine and heart-tugging, which can soothe the listener's heart.

Wang Yao Ping Dance Studio brought "Xueer Dawa", where the dancers, dressed in elegant long dresses, brought the audience the mood of a beautiful classical dance from their dance posture, grace, rhythm and temperament.

The modern jazz dance "Pretty" by Elsa International Dance Arts Group, the girls danced with enthusiasm and exuberance to the powerful music, dancing lightly, with fast and lively steps, flowing like water, strong and upright, dashing and bold.

An impromptu programme - Mothers - surprised the audience during this period. Two mothers were invited on stage and the MC told their stories of their contribution and dedication to the Chinese in Monchengladbach, which made all Chinese deeply respect and moved them, wishing the two elderly mothers good health and happiness for all the family!

Charles Lu is the Chairman, host and founder of the I Am a Singer I Have A Song event in Montreal, a graduate of McGill University, winner of the MCSA and HKSN campus singing competitions, and a judge at several S-Voice events. He has a delicate, sincere, high and clean tone, and his unique vocal range is stunning.

The six reciters of the Literary Breeze Recitation Group performed a musical and dance poem for the audience, with a warm stage set ---- a bottle of lavender exuding the smell of home, two brothers sitting at a round table, their deep eyes making people feel grounded and safe, four sisters standing happily by their brother's side, while a family photo on the big screen symbolised reunion and happiness. The recitations by the two young girls, with their heartfelt and heartfelt recitations, touched the audience and made them think of their relatives every time the festive season came around.

The South of the Clouds Ethnic Minority Art Troupe's dance drama Hani. The music is simple and simple, the lighting is natural and simple, and it is synonymous with the original ecology and the identity card of Yunnan.

Two musicians from the NALAA Original Music Ensemble, Gao Shuang and Zhang Anping, sang "I Want You" in an enchanting duet with a beautiful, melodious voice.

The Chinese martial arts have a long history and are the treasures of traditional Chinese culture. The Shaolin Cultural Centre of Montreal and the Red Maple Leaf Group, together performed "Shaolin Martial Spirit". In the song "Shaolin Temple", a wonderful backing song sung by five tenors, five Shaolin kungfu men, holding various weapons, displayed their Shaolin skills, winning the audience's applause with their majestic and profound characteristics.

Berklee College of Music's Chinese-born female singer-songwriter, Jiu Jiu, presented an English song 'Stand Up For Love'. Jiu Jiu's voice was mellow and full, with a gorgeous smooth tone and a wide range, and her voice was high, grand and penetrating, mesmerising.

The curtain came down on the 4th Maple Snow Music Spring Festival Gala with Shu Qin and Zhang Benfa singing "One Family Under Heaven" and the beautiful dance of the girls from Elsa International Dance Art Group.

The feeling of the hometown is an old wine, fragrant and mellow; the feeling of the hometown is a distant flute, melodious and far-reaching; the feeling of the hometown is an old fairy tale, beautiful and touching. "Raising my head to look at the bright moon, bowing my head to think of my hometown" is full of the deep feelings of a wanderer who misses his hometown. The poem "The hometown is a foreigner's home" expresses the sadness of being in a foreign country.

(Contributed by: Jin Jing, General Secretary of the NALAA)