Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:26): It is with great pleasure that I rise to speak about the many activities associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival in Adelaide, including the OzAsia Festival and many events organised by our vibrant Chinese and Asian communities of South Australia. Let me start by sharing a poem by the renowned Chinese poet and Confucian scholar, Li Bai. It is titled A Quiet Night Thought. The translation goes something like this:

In front of my bed, there is bright moonlight.

It appears to be frost on the ground.

I lift my head and gaze at the bright moonlight

I lower my head and think of my home town.

Since its conception during the Tang Dynasty, A Quiet Night Thought remains one of Li Bai's most famous and memorable poems. This poem is still taught at schools in present-day China and in Chinese schools across the world.

It is during the Mid-Autumn Festival period that Chinese migrants who are living abroad admire the moon from afar while remembering their family and friends of their home town. As a migrant of Chinese heritage, I have a deep appreciation of the poem. I dedicated the poem to the members of the Teo Chew Association of South Australia in my speech at the Moon Festival gala dinner on Sunday 14 September.

A significant number of guests knew the poem by heart and could recite it with me on the night. It was a meaningful gesture because it allowed Chinese migrants to reflect on their own story of migration to Australia, to keep their loved ones in their thoughts and prayers and also to preserve the important culture of the Mid-Autumn Festival in South Australia.

It was great to see the Hon. Tung Ngo at the dinner as well. I am sure he agrees with me that it was a very enjoyable evening. I place on record my special thanks to the Teo Chew Association for their warm and generous hospitality. I would also like to express my gratitude and acknowledge the Chinese Welfare Services, the China Business Network of South Australia and also the Overseas Chinese Association for organising events to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with their members and the broader Australian community.

In addition to a luncheon and two dinners that catered for their members, both Chinese Welfare Services and the Overseas Chinese Association demonstrated exceptional leadership by working together with the Confucius Institute and the Migration Museum to present a full day OzAsia program called Infused: All About Tea. It was wonderful to have the new Governor, His Excellency Hieu Van Le, and Mrs Lan Le as the honoured guests on the day. His Excellency is a great inspiration to all and a wonderful asset to South Australia.

The Hon. Stephen Wade and the member for Unley, David Pisoni, were also at the Migration Museum event. I am sure they witnessed the overwhelming affection and respect from the public towards the new Governor. The number of requests for photos with His Excellency is equivalent to a rock star being chased by paparazzi—very impressive.

Many people would know that His Excellency Hieu Van Le was the patron of OzAsia prior to his appointment as the Governor. The OzAsia Festival is a celebration of cultural diversity; a showcase of many talented and exciting artists in Australia and from Asia. I am a proud ambassador of the OzAsia Festival and its recognition of the nation's most outstanding Asian/Australian cultural engagement festival. It is now in its eighth year and it is becoming bigger and better each year. Congratulations to Adelaide Festival Centre, particularly to CEO Douglas Gautier and former OzAsia Festival director, Jacinta Thomson, for their great artistic vision and leadership.

OzAsia is connecting Australia to our closest neighbours, Asia. This year focus is on South Australia's sister state, Shandong. This sister state relationship has been in place since 1986. Shandong is a coastal province and one of the most populated and affluent provinces in China. It is most well known as being the birth place of Confucius.

I would like to share some of the highlights of many OzAsia events. The opening show was the Australian premiere of Red Sorghum by Qingdao Song and Dance Theatre Company. It was a passionate and exquisite dance drama from Shandong—a moving drama of courage and patriotism. One of my favourites is Dream of the Ghost Story—ghosts, foxes, immortals and demons are brought to life in an outstanding performance with breathtaking acrobatics. It is a fantasy love story by Shandong Acrobatic Troupe.

The other favourite is the Silk Legacy, a showcase of Chinese embroidery tradition. Congratulations to Margaret Lee for her masterpiece of His Excellency Hieu Van Le who comes to life in a silk portrait. It is amazing. A day which is coming up and to which I am looking forward is the Emperor's Feast, which features Cheong Liew, our master chef from South Australia, and the Imperial chef from the Fangshan Restaurant in Beijing. It is just fantastic to see.