11pm at the ticket desk for CandleX’s 2 Year Birthday Party
It was packed! Streams of people jammed at the ticket desk to see some of the best bands in town performing. At one point, people were even standing on the stair case to watch below since the floor was completely full!
Check out the video below for our 2 year anniversary party. CandleX turned 2 on the 1st of April, 2017.
If you are watching from within China, please click here to watch.
What a special day for us!
And what a special day for the community! For 2 years, we’ve been building connections in the community with the vision that everyone, in any mental condition, would be acknowledged, accepted and supported.
We all have been through difficult times, but what could be better than holding hands and getting through it together?
“In our 2 years of work, there have been countless moments when I saw the power of connection manifested trough conversation and sharing about mental health, along with the power of a positive and supportive environment to do so. Turning a struggle into the strength to power through difficult times”; “It's exhausting of course, running a startup NGO, but each time someone expresses their gratitude towards the work we’ve done, that serves as the fuel to drive us forward. 2 years passed in the blink of an eye, and I know there will be many, many more to come”
~Xiaojie
If you are watching from within China, please click here to watch.
Xiaojie - founder and executive director
So the CandleX team invited the Beijing community to its 2-year anniversary. It was an evening filled with live music, performances, socializing, and celebrations. The event was attended by an estimate of around two hundred people, who helped not only to raise funds for CandleX, but also raise the roof of Modernista.
The event consisted of two parts. In the afternoon people had a chance to join different types of dance workshops – Belly Dancing, Contact Improv Dance, and Xiaojie’s own favorite, Swing dance. People of all genders and all levels could explore their creativity and open up to new experiences with professional teachers and fellow community members.
The second part of the event began at 8PM, with Modernista opening up its doors to everyone. It included a swing dance performance, talks, and live band performances from Nathan and Carl and Tavey Lean and the Solid Gold Dream Machine, who got the crowd on their feet and dancing until well into the night.
The party was not only for the community to enjoy great music and win amazing raffle prizes, but also to learn more about the people behind CandleX. Thus, the executive director and founder Xiaojie Qin took some time to introduce the organization, its purpose, and wholeheartedly thank the volunteers, the sponsors, and the attendees. All the proceedings of the evening will help us continue to do more mental health projects in Beijing. Keep supporting each other and follow our coming activities through our WeChat account.
The event was supported by amazing sponsors, such as the Inko Tribal Bellydance Studio, Modernista, Swing Beijing, numerous big and small local Beijing organizations and businesses. We would also like to thank the musicians from Nathan and Carl and Solid Gold for graciously donating their time for free. It’s personally touching to see so many from the Beijing community so willingly give their time and services to many great causes such as CandleX.
Enough with the wordy explanations, we invite you to enjoy all the great photos from the event below!
Specials thanks to all our sponsors.