Free performance to pay homage to Chinese settler history

The lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in...
The lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion’s movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. Photo: supplied
The Qiao Yi Hong De Lion & Dragon Dance team, together with the Otago Southland Chinese Association Lion Dance team, will be performing today in Oamaru.

The performance is part of their Otago pilgrimage to honour and acknowledge the heritage of the early Chinese settlers in the region.

Oamaru Chinese Association president Janice Burnett said the dance troupe from Christchurch will be holding a free performance at the Scottish Hall, 10 Tyne St, on their way to the Lawrence Chinese Camp.

Lion dance master George Chan said he would like to thank their "generous host" the Oamaru Chinese Association.

"[We] hope that the people of Oamaru will enjoy our art and skills," he said.

The Lawrence Chinese Camp, established in 1867, is the earliest and largest Chinese gold mining settlement in Otago.

In the late 1880s, at its peak, the camp was a thriving trading hub catering to Chinese miners in Tuapeka and to those travelling through. It was home to over 120 residents.

jules.chin@odt.co.nz