As the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival approached, the much-anticipated annual cultural feast for overseas Chinese communities — the 2026 Respon Spring Lantern Festival Gala & Canada Youth Fudning Association Charity Gala Awards Ceremony, themed “Galloping Steeds Return, Reunion Lights Brighten the Night”, was grandly held at the River Rock Theatre in Richmond, British Columbia on the evening of March 8.
Fully funded by Respon Wealth Management Corp., this flagship Spring Festival and Lantern Festival gala was jointly hosted by Botrich International, Vancouver Drama Troupe, Vancouver Drama Troupe Children & Youth Art Troupe, Vancouver International Dance Art Academy, and VISM Education.
Blessed with a vibrant spring atmosphere and graced by distinguished guests, the spectacular event garnered widespread support from all sectors of society. The gala received official congratulatory letters from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Member of Parliament Shaun Chen, and Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie.
The distinguished guests attending the event included: Member of Parliament Parm Bains, Member of Parliament Chuck Au, BC Provincial MLA Teresa Wat, Burnaby City Councillor James Wang, Richmond City Councillor Alexa Loo, Vancouver School Board Trustee Kevin Qian, Katherine Yorke, Development Manager at UNICEF Canada; Li Hong, Chairman of Respon Wealth Management Corp.; Liao Ziwei, President of Respon International Group and Chair of the Botrich Family Wealth Inheritance & Development Centre; Jane Li, General Manager of Respon Wealth Management and President of the Canada Youth Funding Association; Zhou Shuo, President of the Botrich Golf Club; Kaitlyn Li, Co-Founder of Botrich and Former President of the Canada Youth Funding Association; Adeline Pang, Director of the Canadian Commerce and Culture Association; Xu Ling, President of the North American Women’s Federation; Zhang Huixin, President of the Fraser Volunteer Association of Canada; Tang Zhaohui, Founder and CEO of Ressee International; Chen Mei, Deputy Head of Vancouver Drama Troupe; Yue Ying, Dean of Vancouver International Dance Art Academy; Shu Yichan, Dean of VISM Art Education Academy, and many other honoured guests.
