Prince Charles and Camilla have celebrated the Lunar New Year in Chinatown, wearing red to bring good fortune as they “awakened” dancing lions in front of a crowd of thousands.
The royal couple shook hundreds of hands as they walked through a throng of curious locals, behind two dancing lion puppets and a beating drum.
Invited to try their hand at calligraphy, they wrote a Chinese symbol for “harmony” in what a calligraphy expert said was intended as an auspicious gesture to bring them happy lives together.
The visit was designed as a boost to the community, whose businesses have suffered in Covid lockdown and whose members have endured rising racist abuse as a result of the pandemic.
The Prince joined a roundtable meeting about the serious impact of hate crime, hearing how one police officer of Chinese heritage had suffered 12 incidents in the last year.
Edmond Yeo, chairman of the Chinese Information and Advice Centre who hosted the Prince and Duchess for the visit, said he was “so proud” of the community reaction to the royal visit, which he proclaimed so exciting it was “unthinkable”.
The Prince and Duchess arrived in Chinatown on Tuesday afternoon to a large crowd of curious onlookers who had learned there was a visiting VIP.
They emerged from a car to a cheer, making a beeline for members of the public nearest to them to shake hands and wish them a happy new year.
Walking down a long line-up of local dignitaries and business leaders, they were offered oranges from a platter by children in colourful silk dresses, intended for good luck.
The Duchess wore a red dress by Fiona Clare, the colour symbolising good luck in the Lunar New Year, and both were draped in a red scarf soon after their arrival.
As crowds thronged behind the barriers, with photographers arriving on all sides, they posed for a photograph with street performers before taking part in a ceremony to “awaken” two larger-than-life lion puppets.
Offered red ink and a paint brush, they painted the eyes, tongue, and drew a line down the “spine” of one yellow and one red animal before jumping slightly as the loud drums kicked in.
They watched as acrobats performed twirls and leaps in lion costume, before beginning a parade through the streets.
With police officers holding a line to stop the royal couple being mobbed, tourists and locals held up thousands of mobile phones for a picture of the spectacle.
The Prince and Duchess then stepped inside to see the work of calligrapher Dr Chan Cheng, and his assistant Dr Liangwei Zhu.
“Are you still doing it,” he asked the master, admiring a large red piece of paper on which he had written the Prince and Duchess’s names, that their visit was an honour, and hopes that the coming Year of the Tiger is a good one.
The Prince and Duchess each tried their hand at their own calligraphy, writing a word which translates to “harmony”.
“What does it say?” the Prince asked. “You make it look very easy!”
Dr Liangwei Zhu said afterwards that the ritual of the couple writing side by side would bring them happiness in their lives together.
