Dragon Boat Festival; World Museum's free events to celebrate Chinese Holiday
Photograph by Gareth Jones

LIVERPOOL'S World Museum is preparing for the 2018 Dragon Boat Festival, with a number of free events planned to celebrate the Chinese holiday which runs from 16 June to 18 June 2018. This year's festival comes in the middle of the highly successful run of the landmark exhibition:- 'China's 1st Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors' at World Museum, which runs until 28 October 2018. Plenty of tickets are available until the end of the exhibition's run, although pre booking is essential.

The Dragon Boat Festival is an important and traditional holiday in China; with a place on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, it has been a public holiday in China, since 2009, but has traditionally been observed in the country for more than 2000 years. The festival is an auspicious occasion, with dragon boat racing as the most important part of the celebrations. The wooden boats involved are elaborately decorated in the form of Chinese dragons and race to the sound of beating drums, with it being said that the winners will have good luck for the next year.

The free events taking place at World Museum to mark the Dragon Boat Festival will be running throughout the day, and will include:-

►  Performances from the Liverpool Hung Gar Kung Fu School.

► Colourful and vibrant dragon dancing performances.

► Kung Fu workshops, where you can learn a few moves for yourself.

► Zodiac animal mask making and learning about the Chinese calendar.

Dragons are an important aspect of traditional Chinese culture, as symbols of power, strength and good luck. The importance of these creatures is also visible in a number of pieces included in China's 1st Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors, including:- dragon pendants, belt buckles and wine vessels.

Penny Arque, Education Manager at World Museum said:- "The Dragon Boat Festival is the latest in a number of exciting calendar dates we're celebrating alongside our Terracotta Warriors exhibition. Our events showcase the vibrancy and diversity of both traditional and modern day Chinese culture. In addition to our public events we run a range of primary School workshops which complement pupils visit to the exhibition. We've had more than 10,000 Schoolchildren visiting since the exhibition opened in February, proving the popularity of our sessions."

Details about the event can be found on the Museums website.

As well as the exciting events planned for the Dragon Boat Festival, World Museum is also holding the following free events throughout summer linked to its China's 1st Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors exhibition:-

► Chinese Lanterns, various dates throughout July and August 2018 - Come and discover the history and skill of making Chinese lanterns, and make your own to take away with you!

► Chinese Community Day, 12 August 2018 - Discover more about Chinese culture and traditions in this festival with local community groups and explore history of Liverpool's China town.

► Chinese Zodiac Masks, various dates throughout July and August 2018 - Join us to learn how to use the Chinese calendar, discover your zodiac animal and make your own zodiac animal mask to take away with you.

► Men of Clay: China's Terracotta Army free talk, 4 August 2018 - This talk will explain why the Terracotta Army was created and how it was made as well as explore some of the restoration techniques used at the site today.

► Who made the Terracotta Army for the Qin 1st Emperor? Free talk, 15 September 2018 - Join us for this special talk by the senior archaeologist from Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Museum in China. The talk will explore who made the Terracotta Army, why and how.

► Mid Autumn Festival, 21 September 2018 - Celebrate this full moon festival with lion dancing, terracotta warrior fighting re-enactments and martial arts demonstrations which you can join in with and learn some moves.

► Taste of China Event, 20 October 2018 - Come and meet the team from the Pagoda Arts Centre of Liverpool's Chinatown, with musical performances from the Pagoda Youth Orchestra, traditional dance demonstrations, and workshops where you can have a try of both for yourself. You can also have a go at making some ancient Chinese knots made for good luck to take home.

Details of all events linked to our Terracotta Warriors exhibition can be found the Museums website.

World Museum also has some paid for events as part of its wider Education programme accompanying its China's 1st Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors exhibition:

Running on various dates throughout summer, our Terracotta Toddlers sessions give children aged 3 to 5 and an accompanying adult the chance to meet a real life terracotta warrior as well as take part in a clay workshop. Sessions will run 3 times a day between 31 July and 4 August 2018. and then again from 21 August to 25 August 2018. Tickets can be booked online at:- LiverpoolMuseums.Org.UK/WML/Events, or by calling:- 0151 478 4444 or visiting the World Museum ticket booth in person.

The Tiger of Qin Schools workshop allows visitors to use hands on investigation and their powers of deduction to discover what our handling objects reveal about this legendary man and his infamous army who, over 2200 years ago, created the China we know today. This session is only available, on Wednesday mornings and exclusive entry to the exhibition for School groups is between 9.30am to 11.30am on Wednesday's.

The China's 1st Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors exhibition is organised by National Museums Liverpool, United Kingdom and the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and Shaanxi History Museum (Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre), People's Republic of China.

Exhibition partners include the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Tianjin Airlines, Wendy Wu Tours, The Swire Charitable Trust, Unilever and The Foyle Foundation. Quilter Cheviot Investment Management, Signature Living and London Stock Exchange Group as well as several individuals are also Terracotta Warrior Partners.

Tickets are priced from ₤14.50 for adults and ₤5.50 for children aged between 6 and 17 years. Children aged 5 years and under go free and there are a number of additional concessions. National Museums Liverpool members get free unlimited access to the exhibition. Further details of prices and how to book tickets can be found online. 

Revellers encouraged to Drink Less Enjoy More during World Cup

REVELLERS planning nights out to watch the 2018 World Cup football tournament are being warned their night could be cut short if they get too drunk. 'Drink Less Enjoy More' highlights that bar staff may refuse to serve them if they have had too much alcohol.

It encourages people to cut back on how much they drink at home before going out; so called:- 'pre loading' as well as how much they consume when visiting bars, pubs and clubs.

Drunkenness can have immediate health consequences such as alcohol poisoning, and can contribute to sexual violence, accidents and violent crimes. It places a large burden on health, Police and other public services.

Drink Less Enjoy More promotes compliance with Sections 141 and 142 of the Licensing Act (2003) which states it is illegal to:-

► Buy alcohol for someone who is clearly drunk.

► For bar staff to serve someone who is clearly drunk.

Both offences are punishable with a fine of up to ₤1,000 and premises found to be serving people who are clearly drunk are also at risk of being stripped of their licence.

Since its launch, Drink Less Enjoy More has been successful in increasing knowledge of the legislation; with research showing the number of people visiting the Liverpool night time economy who know it is illegal to buy alcohol for someone who is excessively drunk almost doubling, up from 32 to 62 percent.

Councillor Paul Brant, Cabinet member for health, said:- "We know that there will be many people getting in the World Cup spirit, and we are just urging them not to drink too much so they have a better and safer night. We always see a spike in demand for public services when there is a major sporting event taking place, and it places a huge strain on services such as the Police, ambulance staff and Hospitals which are already busy. Drink Less Enjoy More isn't aimed at those who drink responsibly; it's there to help identify the minority of people who have had too much alcohol and could end up being a danger to themselves and others.  The message is don't have your night ruined by drinking too much alcohol too early as you face the possibility of not gaining entry to bars and spoiling the night both for yourself and your friends, as well as putting your own personal safety and health at risk. We are also working closely with bars and clubs in Liverpool City Centre  on this issue to support their staff to help keep people safer, and not serve them if they are excessively drunk."

In recent years, the Council's Public Health funded Alcohol and Tobacco Unit has been running training sessions to support bar staff to confidently refuse service to someone who is clearly drunk.

The most recent research conducted in Liverpool City Centre  shows a significant drop in the numbers of bars serving drunks, down to 22% in 2017 from 84% before the initiative started in 2013.

Merseyside Police is encouraging football fans to enjoy the World Cup safely before the tournament kicks off, on Thursday, 14 June 2018.

It is expected venues around Merseyside will be busier when key matches are being played during the tournament, which runs until the final, on Sunday, 15 July  2018.

Superintendent Mark Wiggins from Merseyside Police said:- "We want people across Merseyside to enjoy this World Cup; it should be a wonderful tournament and there will be many venues and licensed premises showing the games, in particular those involving England. Merseyside is a welcoming place and there are people from all over Europe who live in and visit the area. Football is a spectator sport and we expect lots of establishments to be busier when matches are being played. While we do not want to spoil anyone's fun, we will not tolerate anti-social or criminal behaviour. We know around half of all violent crimes committed are alcohol related and that if you drink at home, then go out, you are more likely to be involved in violence, either as a victim or as an offender. Liverpool's night time economy is rightly famous and the City has a well deserved reputation as a safe and vibrant place to enjoy a night out, recently retaining its Purple Flag status for the 8 successive year. We want to ensure people visiting the City and other parts of Merseyside to watch games leave with memories of a fantastic afternoon or evening watching the football and are keen to come back when the tournament is over. We work closely with the local authority and the licensing trade to ensure people do not drink to excess and people will be challenged if they try to purchase more alcohol by bar staff, licensees and the Police. We want people to ask themselves whether they want to have their night ended early; possibly even before a match has kicked off; because they are refused entry to a pub or bar having consumed too much alcohol too early. Drink sensibly and enjoy your night out with friends.  If you attend a screening event, stay aware and take good care of your belongings. I would also ask that people plan ahead; visit a cash point before you have a drink, make sure you know how you're getting home at the end of the evening and have a route planned out."

Branded Taxis will promote the initiative featuring a range of advertising posters with text conversations between friends to illustrate how their night out could be ruined if they ignore the law.  More information can be found online.