COLOURFUL Lion and dragon dancing displays were among Chinese New Year celebrations at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight at the weekend.

Also among the entertainment was live music and performances, Chinese storytelling and calligraphy demonstrations.

More than 100 people watched the dancing outside the gallery.

There were also drop-in craft workshops for families to take part in. Younger visitors had a chance to get hands-on making masks, collages and Chinese zodiac animals.

The celebrations took place as the Lady Lever looked ahead to the re-opening of its South End galleries in spring 2016.

 

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Dragon dancing outside Lady Lever Gallery in Port Sunlight on Saturday. Picture: Paul Heaps

 

The galleries house an internationally-renowned collection of Chinese ceramics, which will be redisplayed as part of the major development project.

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Lion dancing outside the Lady Lever Gallery in Port Sunlight on Saturday. Picture: Paul Heaps

 

The Gallery is well-placed to welcome in the Year of the Goat, as one of its most renowned paintings is William Holman Hunt's The Scapegoat.

Hanging in the Main Hall of the gallery, the painting is perfectly positioned at the centre of the three-day festivities.

The Year of the Goat can also be referred to as the Year of the Sheep as both words have the same meaning in Cantonese.

Below: Dancing in the Chinese New Year outside Lady Lever Gallery on Saturday. Picture: Paul Heaps 

 

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