Colchester/Jiangsu Festival will be based in Long Wyre Street

LONG Wyre Street has seen many things in its long life.

Once part of an important and busy Roman thoroughfare, linking the theatre, temple and route to the circus, it later became the epicentre of Colchester’s boot and shoe industry - a dirty and violent place, the home of two down-at-heel and disreputable music halls, not to mention being the site of the great margarine riots of 1915.

There was also the long-gone Albion Court, which stood almost where Priory Walk is now and was one of the worst slums in Colchester.

It was a place best avoided at the time.

These days, it is a much quieter place and, far from avoiding it, I urge you to make your way to the old pound shop, which has been transformed by those talented Minories people into a pop-up gallery, where, for nine days from Saturday, you can see some beautiful watercolours of modern Colchester by the noted Chinese artist Daniel Lee (Li Mang to his friends).

Over the course of a 40-year career, Mang has exhibited frequently in both British and Chinese galleries, earning international acclaim.

Pictured is the one he did of the war memorial and castle.

You can pop into the old shop to see the rest from Saturday and for the following nine days.

Columnist - Dorian Kelly

While you are at it, you can buy a unique calendar of these beautiful Chinese-style illustrations of Colchester, Dedham, Lavenham, Wivenhoe and so much more.

Or buy several - they would make great Christmas presents!

It’s all part of a free Colchester-Jiangsu Festival, celebrating the links between this beautiful province of China and Essex thanks to the Arts Council and the Cultural Diversity Project.

Long-planned by the Colchester Chinese Cultural Society, it became a victim of the Covid crisis, so its astonishing live programme of Chinese arts, crafts, culture and music had to be put on hold and is now largely online-based.

The festival, engaging with the long-established Chinese communities in Colchester and Tendring and also audiences in Jiangsu, will be a collaborative approach showcasing the very best of local, national and international Chinese artists.

Online you will be able to learn Japanese Manga drawing, take part in Chinese dance classes, take a piano masterclass, learn traditional Chinese music appreciation, find out about Quigong (I had to look it up - it’s a system of co-ordinated body-posture and movement, breathing and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality and martial arts training) or you can watch dance, drama, fashion shows or listen to traditional stories.

There is an online opening variety show live at 7pm on Saturday.

You can get details on the website by heading to www.fjac.co.uk.

Each day new events will be added to the festival website for people to watch at their own convenience.

Maybe soon, we will be able to mount real live performances with real live audiences!

Thanks to this kind of activity and the planned beautification of St Nicholas Square, the refurbishment of Jacks and the Co-op corner, together with an upgrade of the area around the Mercury, this whole area will be very different and go a long way towards Colchester’s new aspiration to make the town centre a great place to be.

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