Party time

Eight weeks into the festival, we finally got around to having a launch party this evening at the Ambassador's residence. We'd had small 'regional' launches in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Chengdu, but this was the big one. 700+ people packed into HMA's house and garden with performers on stilts, the inevitable string quartet, a jazz band, DJ Goldierocks, VJ Noise of Art, fish & chips, caterers with groovy UK Now aprons... 
It was a heck of a job organizing, but I've got to say it went fantastically well. Good mix of Chinese & Brits, Important People (Jeremy Browne MP, Minister for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, dropped by on his way back from Korea), Beijing's arts set, sponsors, media... Really good atmosphere and thank you God for the weather. The security guards at the gate said it was the biggest thing that had ever been done there, and they're the ones who really know. Afterwards a dozen of us headed to the nearest bar, commandeered a table on the street outside and drank till 2am. Relief.