CSA puts on premiere show

The group's production of "The Butterfly Lovers" debuted on Friday night. The Chinese Students Association put on its first-ever theatrical production Friday night, with a performance of "The Butterfly Lovers" in the Annenberg School Theatre. "The Butterfly Lovers" is an ancient love story often referred to as the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet. It is the story of a young girl named Zhu Ying Tai who is forced by her overbearing parents to attend an all-boys school dressed as a boy. While at school, Ying Tai falls in love with one of her classmates, Liang Shan Bo, who knows her only as one of the boys. But without her knowledge, Ying Tai's parents arrange a marriage for their daughter. Desperate to reveal her love for Shan Bo, Ying Tai escapes the night after her wedding to be with Shan Bo. Ying Thai is injured during the escape but dies happily knowing that Shan Bo has seen her as a woman. With no hope of living happily without Ying Thai, Shan Bo takes his life as well. College freshman Judy Chen played the part of Ying Thai and College freshman Michael Chan portrayed Shan Bo. The passionate story was highlighted with performances from invited guests such as the Philadelphia Lion Dance Group, the Jade River Dance group and the USA Shaolin Temple. Not to be outdone by the professionals, the student performers displayed their talents as well. College senior Mike Jen performed an exhilarating routine with the Chinese Yo-Yo and College freshmen Christina Lee and Jeren Wei performed a violin and viola duet entitled "The Butterfly Lovers." "It was fun watching some of the artistic and cultural traditions of another culture," College freshman Dipen Shah said. "The show was funny and exciting to watch." CSA President and Wharton junior Jennifer Wong also said she enjoyed the show -- and was thrilled with the turnout. "A lot of people worked really hard to put the show on and it was good to see such a diverse audience," she said. Friday's production was CSA's first big cultural event of the year. CSA, a group affiliated with both the United Minorities Council and the Asian Pacific Students Association, serves both the graduate and undergraduate community. Its goal is to project the interests and concerns of the University's Chinese students, Wong said. In addition to aiding students of Chinese background, the group strives to reach students of other backgrounds as well. Each year they sponsor social, cultural and community events intended to spread Chinese culture throughout the Penn campus. Other events this year included a tutoring project in Chinatown and a Chinese New Year's celebration.