Chinese floats feature in Lord Mayor's Parade

Artists perform traditional Chinese lion dance during the Lord Mayor's Show in London on Saturday. [Kevin Wang/China Daily]

London's landmark annual spectacular event, Lord Mayor's Show, staged fancy floats parade in the heart of the financial city on Saturday with a special celebration of China and the United Kingdom's close collaboration.

The 800-year old traditional Lord Mayor's Show, with three Chinese groups participating this time, featured a full day celebration on Saturday, bringing together more than 7,000 people, 200 horses and more than 150 floats to make the 5-kilometer procession from Mansion House, past St Paul's Cathedral to the Royal Courts of Justice and back to Mansion House.

The event marks Charles Bowman taking office as the 690th elected Lord Mayor of the City of London.

The three Chinese organizations staging floats in the show are the Bank of China, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London and the Zhejiang UK Association.

The Bank of China's float comprises of three giant fans, the first depicts the UK and China's flags, the second shows Peking Opera costumes and the third is themed on the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

The UK and China flag symbolizes the close relationship between the two countries and their bright future. The Peking Opera costumes shows an important aspect of Chinese culture for UK audience, while the Belt and Road Initiative one depicts growing connectivity between Asia and Europe.

The Bank of China is the oldest Chinese bank to establish in the City of London, having established in London in 1929. In 2017, its engagement with the City of London got intensified as it was chosen to chair the Associate of Foreign Banks, an association that represents the voice of around 250 foreign banks in the UK.

The Zhejiang UK Association, founded in 2009, also for the first time staged a float in the Lord Mayor's Show. Its float is themed on the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

First proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative seeks to promote trade and investment links between Asia and Europe through infrastructure investment. The City of London has been keen to promote London as a financial hub for the Belt and Road related investments.

The Zhejiang UK Association float is created in the shape of a train, to commemorate the significant moment of the Zhejiang-based company Yiwu Timex Industrial Investment operating the first China-UK freight train earlier this year. The train carried trade cargo from Yiwu, China's small commodities hub, to London, and provided importers and exporters a faster and more cost-effective option of transport.

The float's exterior is decorated with pictures of China's Great Wall, Peking Opera, and the famous West Lake, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Other pictures showcase important events, such as the landmark G20 meeting gala performance in Hangzhou last year, and the event of China's 26th naval escort fleet's calling in London in October this year.

Meanwhile the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London also staged a float to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

Performers dressed in panda costumes walk along a float decorated as the Yiwu-London freight train during the Lord Mayor's Show in London on Saturday. [Kevin Wang/China Daily]