2016

SBS celebrates Lunar New Year 2017

25 January 2017

News Release

As each corner adorns in red lanterns and spring couplets symbolising good luck and happiness, SBS is encouraging all Australians to celebrate Lunar New Year with a range of dedicated programming and activity launching across the network from today, Wednesday 25 January.

Throughout February, SBS Radio brings Lunar New Year celebrations to events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and between 28 January and 15 February, is running a competition ‘Find the Fire Rooster’ challenging Australians to hunt for the animated trotting rooster for a chance to share in the good fortune. Full information here sbs.com.au/lunarnewyear.

Elsewhere on the network, SBS celebrates with several shows, including Adam Liaw’s Destination Flavour Singapore and premieres, Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, Ching’s Amazing Asia and Follow Donal to Vietnam. SBS VICELAND marks the occasion with a Kung-fu Movie Season and SBS On Demand hosts a specially curated Lunar New Year Collection.

SBS Director of Audio and Language Content, Mandi Wicks, said: “SBS is committed to celebrating Australia’s multicultural events, encouraging all Australians to embrace our diversity. Lunar New Year is one of the biggest events of the year and we are thrilled to be marking the occasion with a season of special activity and programming across the SBS Network.” 

Full Program Information

TELEVISION

Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth
Wednesdays from 25 January, 7.30 pm on SBS
Kate Humble, Jing Lusi and Ant Anstead attend the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival - an extraordinary sub-zero celebration in China's far north east. Their journey sees them experience the New Year transport rush and crush in Beijing, follow an Anglo-Chinese family back to China, join the crush at Beijing's West Station and battle through Beijing traffic.

Kung-fu Movie Season
Fridays on SBS VICELAND

Detective Dee and The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame
Friday 27 January, 11.10pm on SBS VICELAND  
During the Tang Dynasty, China's future empress frees an imprisoned detective to solve the deaths of two courtiers who burst into flame upon exposure to sunlight.

K-20: The Legend of the Mask
Friday 3 February, 11.15pm on SBS VICELAND
Framed for crimes he didn't commit, circus acrobat Hekichi Endo breaks out of prison to avoid a death sentence and takes on the guise of his enemy - K-20, the "Fiend with 20 Faces" - to clear his name and seek revenge.

The Last Dragon
Friday 10 February, 11.15pm on SBS VICELAND
In New York City, a young man searches for the "master" to obtain the final level of martial arts mastery known as the glow. Along the way, he must fight a martial arts expert corrupted with power, and rescue a beautiful singer from an obsessed music promoter.

Merantau
Friday 17 February, 11.10pm on SBS VICELAND
A young man from the countryside uses his skills in silat martial arts to survive the slave trade.

Ching’s Amazing Asia
Wednesday nights from 25 January, 7.30pm on Food Network
Join Ching He-Huang as she goes on a non-stop flavor fest across Asia and discovers what goes into your favorite dishes!

Follow Donal to Vietnam
Wednesday nights from 25 January, 8.30pm on Food Network
Cookbook author and food blogger Donal Skehan explores the markets of Vietnam, and everybody is welcome to follow.

The Lunar New Year Weekend Marathon
Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 January, 11am-4pm on Food Network
Across the weekend, enjoy episodes of various Asian themed cooking, including Luke Nguyen’s Greater Mekong, Ching’s Chinese New Year special, and more.

SBS ON DEMAND
Available now, SBS On Demand brings Australians a special Lunar New Year Collection. 

Inside The Chinese Closet
At a fake marriage fair, gay men and women meet to make marriage deals to satisfy social and familial expectations.

The Last Emporer
A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

Reign of Assassins
In Ancient China, Drizzle (Michelle Yeoh) is the most deadly and ruthless assassin. After a life of theft and murder, she seeks to atone for her ways. She starts a new life in the capital, but her old gang are hot on her trail.

IP Man
Donnie Yen stars as the eminent Wing Chun martial arts grandmaster, Yip Man, who was renowned for teaching Bruce Lee the secrets of the art he became famous for.

1911
In the early 1900's, China is in a state of crisis. The ruling Qing Dynasty is completely out of touch with its citizens, but any attempt at rebellion is quashed by the Dynasty's powerful, modern army, the "New Army". When Huang Xing returns from Japan, where he has studied the art of modern warfare, he feels he has no choice but to pick up the sword.

Metro Manila
Seeking a better life, Oscar Ramirez and his family decide to move from the poverty stricken rice fields of the Northern Philippine mountain ranges and journey towards the capital mega city of Metro Manila. Upon arriving in the big city, it isn't long before they fall foul to various city inhabitants whose manipulative ways are a daily part of city survival. After landing a job as a driver for a truck company, he befriends Ong who forces Oscar to help in a robbery of the company.