Chinese usher in year of the goat

Shouts of laughter and children's voices could be heard well before entering the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology on Saturday morning. Inside, kids waving red crepe paper ribbons ran from room to room. A woman knelt in one corner, playing horsey to the toddler riding on her back. All this, in honor of the Chinese New Year. Performances and lectures ran nonstop from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the museum's auditorium. On the third floor, artists and educators set up booths. This was the museum's 22nd celebration of the Chinese New Year. According to Pam Kosty, assistant director for public information, it is also the museum's most popular event, drawing hundreds of people. "There's always more to do than you can do," Kosty said. She named the "strong Chinese community" in Philadelphia as the primary reason for this event's popularity. But few in the crowd seemed to be Chinese. "Why are there no Chinese people here?" AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power member Katie Krauss asked. She herself is interested in Chinese culture because of her work with AIDS in China. The Chinese who did attend were mostly artists, educators or performers. One such artist from the Huaguang Oriental Art and Cultural Center was Zhe-Zhou Jiang, promoting his own paintings as well as works of his students. Across the room, Yulan Mimmy San used paper torn from magazines to teach children how to fold boats, shirts and stars. She quoted her heritage as one of the reasons for teaching origami. "Most people think of it as Japanese, but it was the Chinese who first folded paper" San said. Another reason is San's enthusiasm for the art. She calls folding origami "an adventure." "You take a piece of paper and you get this," San said, gesturing to a paper boat. "Isn't that awesome?" Lijie Sun and Qing Qing Qiu educated people on Falun Gong, a martial art banned by the Chinese government. Armed with flyers, CDs and a video demonstration, they also rallied support for people allegedly arrested for practicing Falun Gong. Sun had her own theory for the lack of Chinese people in attendance, claiming it is due to a lack of advertising in Chinatown. Even the people working the event, Sun said, like Jiang and herself, are Chinese who often work with the Western community. In the future, Sun plans to tell people about the event, saying it is "good for both adults and children." That sentiment was echoed by Kathy Jackson, whose 2-year-old adopted daughter Caroline hails from China. She plans to involve Caroline in Chinese language and culture classes and sees the event as a way to teach her about China.