Students celebrate Chinese New Year
Pengfei Zhou sings at the Chinese New Year Festivities
By Jaclyn Dillman | Feature Editor
The University of Indianapolis celebrated the Chinese New Year with festive decorations, food, music and more. The Schwitzer Student Center Marketplace played host to the 2009 Chinese New Year celebration on campus. Weining Chen, Chinese Student Union president, coordinated the event.
“Traditionally, all the families in China will have a reunion. They will have a huge, formal ceremony in China each year to celebrate this special day,” Chen said. “However, the Chinese students at UIndy miss out on this while studying in America, a country too far away from China.”
The dining hall was transformed with Chinese inspired décor as well as a buffet of traditional Chinese cuisine. Students got a taste of Chinese foods from tea eggs to traditional chicken dishes. Chopsticks were also provided to give students and even more realistic Chinese-style dining experience. Phylis Lan Lin, director of Asian programs, attended the event.
“The event went very well,” Lin said. “It has enhanced campus diversified cultural experience for students, faculty and staff.”
Students who attended the celebration could also enjoy a program that included traditional Chinese dances, songs and games. Many Chinese students were given the opportunity to showcase their talents as well as their culture to peers and classmates.
“As the president of CSU, I think it is my responsibility to hold this ceremony and then hope that everyone, including both Chinese students and other students, through this party, will get the feeling of our home,” Chen said.
The 2009 New Year marked the beginning of the Year of the Ox in Chinese culture.
Zhengbai Qiu, Huili Tang, Ying Zhang and Zhanghao Gu participate in the fashion show.
Traditional chinese dress and dance were displayed at the CNY festivities.
