China Towns: Sights and Sounds of the New Year- Jiangsu Festival FREE events

Sunday 25 January: 1pm - 4.30pm
Castle Bailey, Castle Park, Colchester
Set against the stunning backdrop of Colchester Castle, China Towns in Colchester will feature performances by local school children, Miss Jenny's Dance group and the Mercury Theatre. There will be opportunities to try Chinese banner making or have your face painted like a Chinese Opera mask. At 2pm audiences will witness a Soy Sauce and Ketchup Fight as the Mad for Real partnership of Yuan Chai and JJ Xi shower each other with the liquid condiments. The afternoon will finish with lantern procession and fire sculptures.

For further information on the Essex-Jiangsu Festival and future events go to www.essex-china.org

Sunday 25th Jan 2009: 2pm Castle Park, Colchester

Roll up, roll up for the ketchup scrap of the century. In the red corner Yuan Chai, a fighter and one half of the partnership Mad for Real. In the blue corner, JJ Xi, artist, fighter and the other half of the partnership Mad for Real. The two combatants entre the specially constructed bear pit armed with only their wits and a monumental supply of ketchup and soy sauce. Over the next half hour they set about each other with merciless abandon, at first dodging and ducking but eventually showing each other with wave upon wave of liquid condiments.