Jan. 25 marked the start of the Lunar New Year, the most celebrated holiday in Asian cultures. Chinese Culture Club hosted a celebration last Friday bringing in the spring season and creating an interesting event for the Bradley community. It was the fourth year that the organization hosted the event.
“I thought the event was fun and I enjoyed the questions asked during the games,” Kameron Hoover, a senior graphic design major, said. “I felt the event was welcoming to all people of different backgrounds to understand and explore Chinese culture and celebrations.”
The event took place in the Garrett Center and featured a traditional Chinese performance, mini-games and trivia. Performances from high school freshmen dancers and Peking opera singers provided entertainment.
Upon entry, attendees were given tickets to receive Amazon gift cards in raffles conducted throughout the night.
“Overall, we had a great turnout and we had a lot more interactions with the audiences this year compared to the past,” said Dongcheng Yang, vice president of Chinese Culture Club and one of the organizers for the event.
Yang, a senior electrical engineering major, said that the event provides an opportunity to celebrate the new year with the local Chinese community and with people from other cultures.
“Sharing this celebration with the Bradley community is important because Chinese New Year is one of the most representative festivals in Chinese culture,” Yang said. “Sharing this meaningful festival here can greatly help the whole Bradley community with different diversity backgrounds to know more about China.”
Senior biology major Annie Tserendavaa also enjoyed the inclusivity of the event.
“I enjoyed that the meeting was inclusive to non-Chinese students and made them feel comfortable,” Tserendavaa said.
The celebration started off with dinner that included ma-po tofu, chicken broccoli, rice noodles and fortune cookies to name a few.
“I like the wide-ranged food that they had at the event,” Amanda Brito, senior photography major, said. “They were really good and the games were fun.”
The night concluded with opportunities for audience members to partake in Chinese calligraphy and receive Peking masks.
To get involved further with Chinese Culture Club, email bradleychineseculture@gmail.com.
