50th Anniversary

50th Anniversary

1973 - 2023

The Chinatown Community Young Lions, a non-profit based in Chinatown, is celebrating its 50th  year of teaching, sharing, and preserving Asian culture and heritage among youth in New York City.

With 500 diverse members, the Young Lions also offer a range of youth programs in addition to teaching lion dancing. One New Year’s tradition is to give “lucky money” (“lai see”) to the lion. In recognition of that practice, the MTA distributed $18 OMNY cards to the lion dancers, symbolizing 18 as a lucky number in Chinese culture. Read the MTA article here.

We invite you to celebrate 50 years by taking a trip down memory lane

Then versus Now

Firecracker Festival

Sunday Jan 22, 2023

We kicked off our 50th Lunar New Year
by making a grand entrance

We hit up the streets

We love dancing and being surrounded by our family, friends, and the community, including a furry supporter or two.

We blessed local businesses
with bows and lettuce

In return, we were fed red envelopes from shop owners and the crowd.

  • Join us in celebrating our 50th anniversary at Super Saturday Lion Dance Parades

    Saturday February 4, 2023 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM in Manhattan’s Chinatown

We can’t wait for the another 50 years as the
Chinatown Community Young Lions