Record crowd welcomes Year of the Sheep in Vancouver

Vancouverites welcomed the Year of the Sheep on Sunday in the heart of this Canadian city's Chinatown, with a record large crowd watching this year's annual New Year's parade.

Lining the streets of Vancouver's historic Chinatown were an estimated 100,000 people. They were here for the Chinese New Year's parade, which has now become a festival that rivals any others in Vancouver throughout the year.

Vancouver's Chinatown began to take shape in the early days of the province, as Chinese settlers started moving into the neighborhood from around 1890. The area remains an important part of Vancouver's Chinese culture, commerce and entertainment.

Alice Wong, minister for senior affairs in Canada's federal government, told Xinhua that she was glad the parade kept growing year by year, and this year would witness a record-breaking number of people watching the parade.

She also noted that the increasing interest in the parade and the diverse crowd of spectators show that the Chinese New Year is evolving into a Canadian tradition.

"During the parade we will see lots of other communities joining. It's now become a Canadian celebration. It shows the strength, not only of the Chinese community, but a beautiful mosaic, so this is why it's so exciting," Wong said.

The parade was also an important day on the calendar for many second-generation Chinese Canadians who want to keep a strong connection to their traditions and to their heritage.

Carley Sum, who was born to a Chinese immigrant family, said the parade was like part of her culture even though she was brought up here in Vancouver.

"My brother, he's lion dancing in my grandfather's society. We come here every year, to celebrate the Chinese New Year," she said.

Sunday's parade marked the 42nd Chinese New Year's march in Vancouver with more than 80 floats touring a 1.3-kilometer route of one of Vancouver's most historic neighborhoods. Endi