Beijing 2008 to London 2012 How London is celebrating the connection

2008 has been chosen by London to celebrate Chinese culture, history and heritage. Why? As Beijing's handover city for the 2012 Olympics, the relationship between the two cities has never been stronger as Beijing prepares to host the games this August.
London was, of course, one of the cities that hosted the Olympic Torch relay. This journey sees the Torch that will eventually light the Olympic flame in Beijing being carried around the world by hundreds of different runners, including athletes, actors, musicians and TV personalities. The relay hopes to capture the Olympic ideal of inclusiveness and brotherhood, and this year was named'Journey of Harmony'.

Ten different boroughs of London hosted a leg of the relay on April 6th, and each greeted its arrival with a locally themed street party, highlighting the cultural diversity for which London is famous.

The celebrations of the links between London and Beijing on this special year started well before April. On the 6th of February there was the traditional turning on of Chinese lanterns along Oxford Street. Nothing blend site two cultures better than the sight of red buses moving under thousands of paper lanterns.

Sunday 10th of February saw the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations anywhere in the world outside of China. The epicentre of the day's celebrations was London's Chinatown. Chu Ting Tang, president of the London Chinatown Chinese association said, 'This year's event is especially significant as Beijing hosts the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games ahead of London in 2012. People can also see what Chinatown has to offer – not just during Chinese New Year, but all year round'.

Both of these events helped kick off the six-month China in London season, which runs until the Olympic Games begin in Beijing. China in London sees performances by some of the most talented musicians and performers from China, and especially from Beijing, as the organisers wish to strengthen the links between the two cities.

The Victoria and Albert Museum is exhibiting the famous Terracotta Army, while the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra make their London debut at South Bank Royal Festival Hall.

Museum in Docklands will be one of the main venues for events aimed at parents and children. There will be workshops on puppetry, tea tasting, calligraphy, and traditional story telling. Children will also learn about the history of why Limehouse in the Docklands area was the site of the original Chinatown. Chinese people who had been working in the restaurants and laundries on ocean liners transporting tea to Britain settled in the port area when they arrived. They simply continued with their jobs on dry land, explaining why we have so many Chinese laundrettes in London!

London Zoo celebrated the Year of the Rat by having special performances by their group of very clever brown rats, and visiting children had the chance to experience life as a rat with special headgear that means they can only 'see' by using their whiskers. Visitors can also explore what characteristics each of their Chinese zodiac animals possess with specially installed information.

Even if you don't have a ticket to one of these events you can still enjoy free Chinese poetry readings on the Underground, and fortune cookies handed out free to commuters.

This year's China in London season has been the biggest yet, and with the growing links between Beijing and London promises to go from strength to strength in years to come.

2008年，伦敦将年度系列欢庆活动的主题锁定在中国历史，文化与遗产。原因何在？因为北京奥运会后，伦敦会接过2012年奥运会的接力棒，北京与伦敦之间的联系达到了前所未有的密切。

奥运火炬全球传递，伦敦当仁不让地成为其中一站，见证了即将在北京点燃的奥运圣火。在伦敦站，几百名火炬手加入到传递过程中，这其中包括运运动员，演员，音乐家以及电视媒体人员。此次传递希望体现包容和四海一家的奥运理想，“和谐之旅”也由此得名。

4月6日，伦敦的十个大区分别组织了火炬的传递活动。火炬每到一处，当地居民都会组织以当地文化为主题的群众活动来欢迎奥运圣火的到来，以体现伦敦赖以成名的文化多样性。

为了庆祝北京与伦敦的紧密联系而在今年这个特殊年份举行的盛大庆典早在4月份之前就开始了。在2月6日，传统的中国元宵大红灯笼就在牛津大街点亮。红色的巴士穿梭在成千上万的元宵灯下，中国和英国的文化混搭达到了美仑美奂的境界。

2月10日，人们见识了中国以外最大规模的农历春节庆祝活动。活动的中心就是伦敦的唐人街。伦敦华埠商会会长邓柱廷说，因为北京将在伦敦之前举办奥运会和残奥会，今年的庆祝活动显得更加意义重大。人们可以体验唐人街在这一年中的丰富活动，而不仅仅是在传统春节期间。

火炬传递和中国春节的庆祝同时拉开了伦敦中国文化季的帷幕。此次为期六个月的“中国在伦敦”文化季将一直持续到奥运会开幕。文化季上，来自中国的才华横溢的音乐家和表演家们为大家精彩献艺，其中包括不少来自北京的艺术家。

维多利亚与埃尔伯特博物馆展出了著名的兵马俑藏品，而且香港民族交响乐团也在南岸皇家节庆音乐厅登场演出。

码头区博物馆将成为针对家长与小朋友的各项活动的主要场馆。那儿会有很多工作坊，包括木偶戏，茶艺，美术以及传统故事会等。在那里小朋友也可以学到一些历史知识，如为什么码头地区的莱姆豪斯会产生最早的唐人街等。早期的华人曾在运送茶叶的远洋班轮上的餐厅和洗衣房工作。他们到达英国之后就在港口地区定居下来，并且随后就在附近的陆地上从事工作。这也就是为什么伦敦地区会有如此多的中国洗衣店的原因。

伦敦动物园也推出了以一群聪明的棕鼠作为主角的特殊表演来庆祝中国的传统鼠年。前来参观的小朋友有机会体验到老鼠的真实生活。他们将戴上特殊的头饰，只能用胡须来“看”东西。观众还可以藉由这次机会了解到他们各自所属的生肖动物有什么特征。

即使没有机会参加这些活动也没关系，人们也可以在地铁里看到中国诗歌精选段落，并得到分发给乘客的福饼等。

08年的伦敦中国文化季是迄今为止最大规模的一次，随着北京和伦敦之间的联系不断增多，两个城市的交流也必将变得更加紧密。