Festivities ring in the Chinese New Year

With just a vegetable and a carving knife, local restaurateur Joseph Poon attracted the attention of about 30 wide-eyed young children in the Upper Egypt Gallery of the University Museum on Saturday afternoon. In the Lower Egypt Gallery, meanwhile, students and instructors from Siu Lum Kung Fu Academy gave a Tai Chi demonstration. With the promise of free food, lessons in martial arts and displays of traditional Chinese dances, about several hundred local Philadelphians packed all three floors of the museum as part of the annual Chinese New Year celebration at Penn. Some of the cultural events that took place throughout the day included dance performances by the Yardley Chinese Language School and the Jade River Dancers. Among the all-day activities in which the attendees participated were I Ching fortune telling, vegetable carvings and Chinese painting and calligraphy. In addition, the Penn Chinese Student Association -- a campus organization with approximately 300 student members -- hosted activities ranging from Chinese games to information tables to arts and crafts for children. On the first floor, between the Islam and Archaeology exhibits, about 50 participants received a free demonstration of Tai Chi -- a popular Chinese form of exercise. "This was the first time we were invited," said Shahab Minassian, the associate instructor for Siu Lum. "We've practiced many times together." The Tai Chi presentation was followed with a Qi Gong demonstration led by local martial arts guru Master Hou and a Kung Fu lesson taught by Kung Fu Academy One. And in terms of food, representatives from Beijing Restaurant dished out free samples and offered cooking lessons, while Poon's edible vegetable carvings -- which included dragons, rats and birds -- proved particularly popular among the children. Throughout the events, several of the museum-goers -- among them only a handful of Penn students unaffiliated with the Chinese Student Association -- expressed their different reasons for attending. "We wanted [our daughter] to keep her heritage," said Bill Mooney, father of an adopted daughter. "Even though she lives in the U.S., she's still Chinese." "It made us feel like we were back [in China]," his wife Lynn explained. Added eight-year-old Raven Williams, "I liked the arts and crafts. I learned how to make one of these [Chinese lanterns], but mine's ripped." The day's festivities were capped off with a traditional Lion Dance, which was so popular that it had to be performed twice. The Harrison Auditorium was filled to capacity both times. "It was very successful," CSA President Trudy Chan, a College sophomore, said. "A lot of people could learn about Chinese culture." Chan speculated that the low Penn student turnout could be attributed to a lack of advertising, though the CSA did distribute flyers on Locust Walk on Friday. "It's sad," Chan said. "Four years ago, it was a much bigger thing around the Penn campus."