THE Canadian community in Shanghai celebrated Canada's 138th birthday on June 25 with a day of sports, contests, music and fun at the Shanghai American School's Puxi campus.

Despite the intense heat of the day, hundreds of Canadians and Chinese with Canadian ties showed up at the event. The performance of The Georgia Sam Blues Band, a rock and roll & blues live band, in the late afternoon brought the day to its climax.

"Canada Day is a great opportunity for Canada. It is not only a great birthday celebration, but an opportunity for Canada to show off some of its talents," said Anthony Fong, the chairman of the Canada China Business Council (CCBC) in Shanghai, which organized the event in co-operation with the Canadian Consulate General in Shanghai.

There are now approximately

6,000 Canadians living and working in Shanghai, according to statistics offered by the CCBC.