TORONTO, September 25, 2026 – The second Toronto Chinese Traditional Culture Festival was held at Bayview Reservoir Park in Markham on September 19. Chinese community associations, community organizations and residents from the Greater Toronto Area and other Canadian provinces attended the event, which featured cultural performances, choir singing, tug-of-war and other activities.
This year’s event was jointly organized by the Canadian Chinese Federation of Associations (Vancouver), the Canadian Shenzhen Associations Federation, the Canadian Qilu Association and the Canada-China Realty Professional Association Charity Foundation. It was also held together with the 10th anniversary celebration of the Canadian Shenzhen Associations Federation and the 21st summer picnic of the Canadian Qilu Association.
That day, several associations and community organizations entered the venue holding group signs. The performance Dragon Drum Spirit then opened the cultural program. In addition to community performance teams from the Greater Toronto Area, organizers also invited a professional arts troupe from Shenzhen to perform.
At the opening ceremony, Niu Hua, chair of the Canadian Chinese Federation of Associations (Vancouver); Qi Jia, chair of the Canadian Shenzhen Associations Federation; Maria Sun, chair of the Canadian Qilu Association; and Sun Zhifeng, chair of the Canada-China Realty Professional Association Charity Foundation, delivered remarks. Zhang Chaofeng, a director from the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto, also attended and spoke on behalf of the consulate.
Several representatives from all three levels of government and community guests also attended, including Chan Chee Fai, Alan Ho, Amanda Yeung Collucci, Shelley Carroll and Simon Cui, as well as Patrick Li, a representative from the office of Member of Parliament Jean Yip. Chinese community representatives from British Columbia and Alberta, as well as university alumni organizations and business representatives, also took part in the event.
Guests and community members sang Ode to the Motherland together.
The tug-of-war competition was one of the most popular interactive activities of the day. As a long-running traditional part of the Canadian Qilu Association’s summer events, it brought together community members of different ages in teams, while residents watched and cheered from the sidelines.
The event also included association networking and community gathering activities. Hometown associations, business associations, university alumni groups and other community organizations from different regions used the occasion to meet and exchange ideas.
Organizers said they hope the festival will encourage more residents to take part in Chinese traditional cultural activities and strengthen connections among different community associations.
（LJI by Yuanyuan）
