In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the twinning agreement between British Columbia and China’s Guangdong province, the internationally acclaimed Guangdong Experimental High School Choir will visit B.C. in August.

Since 1952, this 50-plus student choir has performed around the globe, winning numerous competitions and awards. The choir is considered to be one of the best vocal groups in China and is currently ranked third in the INTERKULTUR World Rankings. This is the first time a choir of this size has visited British Columbia from Guangdong Province.

To watch the talented students, aged 12 to 16 years, perform in traditional costumes and sing songs in a wide range of styles and in many different languages, people can attend a public concert ─ either in Burnaby or Nanaimo.

The Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office and the Guangdong People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries will join the British Columbia ─ Guangdong Business Council to host a concert in Burnaby’s Michael J. Fox Theatre on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 18. As part of the official B.C.─Guangdong 20th-anniversary performance, the show will include the Canada Melody Choir Association.

The choir will perform a second concert at the Nanaimo Port Theatre on Friday, Aug. 21.

During their visit as Guangdong ‘ambassadors’, the students will explore southern and central Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver. Trip highlights will include a ride on BC Ferries, a tour of the Parliament Buildings in Victoria and a visit to the Butchart Gardens.

The choir will also perform at the World Teochew Conference in Vancouver. More than 3,000 people of Teochew heritage (from eastern Guangdong province) are expected to attend.

Details and ticket information for the two Guangdong Experimental High School Choir public concerts can be found at:

Burnaby: http://www.michaeljfoxtheatre.ca/calendar-events

Nanaimo: http://www.porttheatre.com/index.php

The people of Guangdong soon will have the opportunity to learn how some of their ancestors came to British Columbia in search of the mythical Gold Mountain when the Royal B.C. Museum’s Gold Rush! El Dorado in B.C. exhibition travels to their province.

The exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of people who came to British Columbia over a century ago looking for a better life for themselves and their families. It will serve to strengthen the historical and cultural ties between B.C. and its sister province.

Quotes:

Minister of International Trade and Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism Teresa Wat –

“As Canada’s Asia-Pacific gateway, British Columbia is leading the way for Canadian trade and investment in Asia. That is why it is so important to celebrate the deep family, business and cultural connections we have with regions like Guangdong. Not only has this relationship strengthened our cultural ties, it has also helped contribute to the growth in trade between B.C. and China over the last couple of decades.”

BC ─ Guangdong Business Council president Fred Mah –

“We are very fortunate to have this renowned choir come here to help us to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the twinning between B.C. and Guangdong. These talented students have won four gold medals in the World Choir Games and can perform in six different languages. I’m really looking forward to seeing them perform.”

18th Convention of Teochew International Federation chair Siu Ngai Lam –
“In honour of the 20-year sister province relationship between Guangdong and B.C, the 18th Convention of Teochew International Federation will be held in Vancouver. It’s our great pleasure to have the Guangdong Experimental Middle School Choir perform in B.C.”

Quick Facts:

• Guangdong is among the world's 15 biggest economies, with a GDP of more than US $895.3 billion.
• B.C. has the second-largest Chinese community in Canada (almost 500,000 individuals identify themselves as being of Chinese ethnic origin). Guangdong is the ancestral homeland of a large proportion of the British Columbians of Chinese heritage.
• B.C. premiers and ministers have visited Guangdong on several occasions over the past decade, and concluded numerous MOUs in support of the overall twinning relationship.
• Canada Melody Choir Association is a non-profit, non-religious and non-political cultural group whose purpose is to promote Canada’s multicultural society and to improve the standard of choral singing and performing.
• Two ways government is marking the 20th anniversary of the sister provinces:
  • Minister of International Trade Teresa Wat was in Guangdong as part of her spring trade mission to China.
  • In April, Deputy Party Secretary of Guangdong MA Xingrui made his first trip to Canada since being appointed Deputy Party Secretary of Guangdong in 2013. While in B.C., he visited the Viking Air Manufacturing Plant in Sidney and participated in a business seminar hosted by Guangdong Province and organized by the BC Ministry of International Trade to promote investment in Guangdong.
• The governor of Guangdong visited B.C. in September 2014 and opened a Guangdong trade and investment representative office in Vancouver.
• China has become one of B.C.’s most important economic partners, second only to the United States. Twenty years ago, B.C. exported just over $300 million worth of goods to China annually. In 2014, $6.3 billion worth of goods was exported to China.

Learn More:

Embrace BC – Province of B.C. multiculturalism site: www.embracebc.ca