Mr. William J. W. Yu，Deputy Chairman of Australia Soong Ching Ling Foundation

The 2005 Sydney International Children’s Cultural & Arts Festival under the theme ‘Peace, Friendship, Future’ was held in Australia from July 22 to July 26, encompassing five separate functions. On the 23rd of July the festival got off to a start with an informal welcoming party at the Sydney Olympic Park. The young performers enjoyed flying kites bearing the festival’s slogan, dancing with Kangaroos, and signing their name to the festival banner. On the same evening, these children from different backgrounds, festively singing and dancing, cheering each other with jubilation, and exchanging languages in the back stage area. On July 24th, at the world famous Sydney Opera House, the official opening ceremony began, and under the upbeat strains of the tune ‘Celebration’, with a kaleidoscope of colour gracing the stage as young performers showcased their colourful and distinctive national costumes, like an immaculate masterpiece unfurling in front of the audience, overflowing with the jubilant atmosphere of a festival. At the same time, Australian government leaders, consular officials, and representatives of the organising committee took to the stage and both welcomed the audience and officially declared in their own respective languages: “Let the festival begin!”And with that the young performers – the cream of their respective nationalities – came together to present a multicultural performance with real cultural depth and variety.

The performances embodied a common spirit, with a smooth transition from each item to the next, as if different parts of the same story. The young performers gave the crowd a masterful and faultless performance, winning the hearts and applause of the two thousand audience members drawn from many different ethnic backgrounds.

On the afternoon of July 26, the festival had its final program at the Hurstville Town Hall, with the official closing ceremony of the 2005 Sydney International Children’s Cultural & Arts Festival. At the closing ceremony, the Chairman of the Sydney organizing committee returned the festival flag to the representative of the festival’s international secretariat. One year’s hard work finally came to fruition, with the successful conclusion of the festival; one year’s exertion of blood, sweat & tears, moving stories and selfless contributions came to an end. The atmosphere was one of celebration, thanksgiving, triumph and relief. That evening, at the send off dinner held at Dragon Star Seafood restaurant, the food was piled up high and the visiting troupes, troupe leaders and festival officials toasted the success of the Sydney festival.

The 2005 Sydney International Children’s Cultural & Arts Festival follows in the footsteps of the successful Shanghai festivals held in 1994, 1997, 2000, 2004; the Sydney festival is the first time the event has taken to the world stage, moving overseas in a way reminiscent of the Olympic Games. At the Sydney festival, more than 28 troupes came together to present the cultural depth of 15 different cultures, making for a truly international event; the festival due to its commitment to fostering harmonious cultural relations received the praise of the Australian Prime Minister, the Federal Minister for Arts and Sport, the Premier, Chinese Ambassador to Australia, the Chinese consul, and the Korean, Thai, Japanese, Spanish and Irish General Consuls.

The festival in Sydney celebrated a number of firsts: First to run such a large children’s event entirely independent of government funding & organization; First to present a performance featuring more than 1100 performers at the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House, smashing previous records; First children’s festival of this size organized by one ethnic group to bring together many ethnic communities to celebrate the depth and value of diversity; First to actively promote in the media outlets of multiple ethnic communities, with joint operations between these media organizations resulting in publication of reports concerning the festival in all of the languages of the communities represented at the festival.

Through the festival, and by performing on the stages of the world famous Sydney Opera House, each of the young performers reached a personal milestone and a definite sense of achievement on their road to theatrical success; through this festival raised the bar in terms of artistic programs presented by the Chinese community, increasing both in professionalism and in scope; through this festival, Australia once again showed the ‘volunteer spirit’ first acknowledged by the world through the 2000 Olympic games; and through this festival, apart from providing audience members with an opportunity to see members of their own community performing at these fantastic venues, also gave the audience an opportunity to see the radiant color perhaps unfamiliar ethnic groups, thereby improving inter-cultural understanding and promoting cultural exchange.

In the days following the festival, the organizing committee received a large number of enquiries and interviews concerning the festival’s proceedings, all placing a high value on the work of the festival and certifying the wide ranging influence and deep impact of the festival.

Behind the scenes of the festival, the team of volunteers recruited by the organizing committee gave their all. Just as the Chairman of the committee said of the volunteers: On this flag the combined wisdom of the volunteers from different communities has merged, bringing together those who tire for the cause of the young people’s arts movement. The representative of the international secretariat, Mr Ai Boying，said that the outstanding work of the volunteers won the respect of the world’s children, won the praise of the community, and the affirmation of the government and the media. He went on to thank the work of the volunteers, saying they had arranged ‘something big, something excellent, and something profound and lasting’.

In arranging the 2005 Sydney International Children’s Cultural & Arts Festival, the Australian Chinese Performing Artist’s Association has shown itself to be capable of liasing with groups of different ethnic backgrounds to produce outstanding cultural exhibitions, and from this festival it can be seen that the influence of the association is without doubt strong and lasting. The association has set a wonderful foundation for future festivals to build on, starting a new page in the history of community-run international children’s festivals. The 2005 Sydney International Children’s Cultural & Arts Festival has been like seeds thrown into the midst of the populace, so let us hope now that the spirit of Peace & Friendship takes root, and the children of different languages, different color, different cultural backgrounds continue to forge and nurture friendships based on understanding and appreciation of each others talents and qualities.

Again, the organizing committee would like to thank ABC Tissue Products, Sydney’s Child, Air China, Qantas, International Sydney Group, Australia International Properties Holdings, Australia-China Chamber of Commerce, Dream Overseas, Coir Star International, Greenking Evergreen Group and all of our media supporters including La Fiamma, ThaiOz, Hojunara, TopWeekly, El Espanol.