A night with HSBC Philippines ushers in Year of the Rabbit – The Diarist.ph

Amid the merrymaking, the music, the glitz in which the prestigious institution HSBC greeted the Lunar New Year last January 19, there was a heartwarming touch: the host asked the guests to write down their wishes to be displayed on a digital wishing tree. An assortment of wishes was read, including, if “Sting could sing on my birthday.” We wanted to write: “To meet BTS…” But it was our table mate, Steven Tan, the president of SM Malls, who expressed what must have been the inner wish of everyone: “After the past two years that saw us losing some family, friends and acquaintances to COVID or some illness, we now have only one wish—that we be blessed with good health. Not much else matters.” Indeed.

The Year of the Rabbit represents elegance, beauty and mercy, and is regarded as one of the luckiest among the 12 Chinese zodiac signs.

The HSBC Philippines’ celebration evoked hope, prosperity and boundless possibilities.  The evening’s theme of Luxe took back the guests to the charm of 1930s Shanghai, where East and West created beautiful harmony for a truly distinct Lunar New Year celebration.

At the Shangri-La the Fort, guests were welcomed with Lychee Gin and Tonic, symbolizing love, beauty and well-being.  The ballroom foyer was transformed into a Luxe Food Street enticing guests to go on a Lucky Food Crawl.  Guests enjoyed the harbingers of good luck—ingot-shaped dumplings representing prosperity, a variety of spring rolls signifying wealth, stir-fried noodles and assorted citrus fruits symbolizing longevity and good fortune.

Guests were then transported to 1930s Shanghai as they walked onto the grand ballroom through a short tunnel lined with red lanterns. The ballroom was a smoke-filled 1930s nightclub dubbed The Celestial Club where the the club “owner” (the evening’s host) welcomed his guests to the evening repertoire beginning with the  five-piece jazz band music and songs by the award-winning Baihana.

Inspired by the “Paris of the East”—as Shanghai was called in the 1930s for its vibrant cosmopolitan flair— the ballroom-turned-glitzy night club took after the swanky Tower Night Club located on the 9^th floor of the Cathay Hotel, now The Fairmont Peace Hotel, on Nanjing Road and The Bund where it stood witness to Shanghai’s glory days.  Grabbing attention were the two 8-ft-high Chinese pagodas hanging from the ballroom ceiling— the evening’s pièce de résistance.

Floral table tops, echoing shades of spring in blue-and-white Chinese vases, made clever use of colors that broke away from the traditional red and gold.

The Chinese New Year gala was opened by HSBC Philippines president and CEO, Sandeep Uppal: “We are very pleased to welcome the Lunar New Year through a face-to-face celebration with our distinguished guests and customers.  The sign of the Rabbit is said to be a symbol of longevity, peace as well as prosperity and we thus approach the new year with a sense of hope.  As one of the leading universal banks in the country, we in HSBC look forward to continuously nurture our relationship with our customers and be their banking partner of choice through their life’s journey.”

The ceremonious “Dotting of the Lion’s Eyes” followed onstage.  Believed to chase away evil spirits, the festive cacophony of drums, gongs and cymbals blended with colorful LED visuals for a larger-than-life spectacle.  As the lions woke up, HSBC executives joined Uppal onstage, ushering in the Lion Dance spreading cheer and luck to the guests and signaling the start of the New Year Feast.

Guests enjoyed a four-course Chinese-French fusion menu, an East-meets-West experience, developed by Shangri-La the Fort’s chef duo, Wang Wei Qing and Joris Rycken.

What followed was a highly enjoyable concert featuring the 25-piece Manila Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Maestro Rodel Colmenar, playing movie classics that paid tribute to Henry Mancini.

The show’s highlight was a Broadway show-stopper,  Lani Misalucha, who flew in from Las Vegas, for the event. She sang a good mix of the East and West— Orange Colored Sky, Nella Fantasia, Bodabil, Wo Yao Ni De Ai, Moon River, Love on Top, Firework and People as her encore song requested by the audience.

Before the night ended, Uppal was joined by HSBC Philippines’ business heads in the toast: “Here’s to building our future together!” and everyone greeted each other Gong Xi Fa Chai as they raised their glasses to welcome the Year of the Rabbit.