Flushing New Year Parade 2009

Over the weekend, Chinese and non-Chinese celebrated the New Year in Flushing, New York. Our reporter Sarah Matheson brings us there.
New York's Flushing community welcomed in the Year of the Ox on Saturday with a
large-scale Chinese New Year parade.

The Korean community turned out in force, show casing some traditional Korean
dance and costumes, to ring in the lunar New Year.

This man is a regular fixture at parades in New York City.

[Jang Kun Tok, Korean Community Representative]:
Happy New Year.

Other parade attendees were thinking about issues that run deeper.

[Li Xing Bo, Flushing Resident]:
"Falun Gong practitioners and people who quit the CCP are standing out to voice for China's freedom and democracy...onward, onward, onward."

Chinese businesses and community groups also joined in the festivities.

Some really enjoyed the entertainment.

[Mr Zhou, Flushing Resident]:
"Watching Falun Dafa here, I felt very happy. Very moved. This kind of marching band, even in Mainland China, I haven't seen this sort of a group. Their clothing was really beautiful, really grand and solemn."

The year of the Ox is about hard work, and reaping the fruits of your labor. Celebrations normally run for 15 days.

This is Sarah Matheson, NTD, New York.

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News & Politics

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