This year, Nihao Mandarin Language School ushered in the Chinese New Year of the Dog with the lively and energetic Lion Dance and nearly 500 students, parents, teachers and their families in Sutton Borough.

VIP guests included Madam Mayor of the London Borough of Sutton, Cllr Jean Crossby, and President of the UK Lian Jiang Association Ltd, Mr ZC Huang, who has plans to see more charitable co-operation between the Sutton Madam Mayor and the UK Lian Jiang Association to carry out visits at the Care homes and look into the needs of the elderly people in the Borough.

This is the 11^th year Nihao Mandarin School is celebrating Chinese New Year with its student body.  Each year the hall is packed to the brim with everyone dressed in a sea of lucky red and auspicious color with every class putting up a performance in Mandarin.  Head teacher Xiuli Fu-Phasey said, “Since coming to the UK in 1998 I have witnessed that with the rapid development of China and increasing trade ties between UK and China, our school has expanded because more people are interested to learn Mandarin as a useful foreign language, and about the interesting Chinese culture that has spanned thousands of years of civilizations.  The Spring Festival is one of the most important Chinese festivals celebrated by at least one fifth of the world’s population. Some of our students travel from Merton and Kingston boroughs, and each year we celebrate Spring Festival together as a school ”

The Chinese Lunar New Year of the Earth Dog starts on16th February 2018 and ends officially on 2^nd March. People born in the zodiac Dog year are said to be loyal, honest and patient, they include those born in 1934, 1946, 1958,1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 and 2018.

At term times, Nihao Mandarin School is based at Woodcote Primary School in Purley, receiving students from age 2.5 for Beanie Clubs, through to GCSE and AS/A classes and Adult Classes.  For the 9^th year running,  Nihao Chinese New Year Celebration has been held at the rented Wallington High School for Girls  hall due to its capacity to cater to a big turnout of audience for this annual show.