Area students ring in Chinese New Year

Over 1.6 billion people celebrate Chinese New Year this week, and many came to Penn from across the city to celebrate China's largest holiday at the Chinese Students & Scholars Association's annual Spring Festival gala.

"It's different when we're not in China," Rutgers University graduate student Qian Wei said about the CSSA's gala celebration. "It's important for us to celebrate in our own way."

She and about 600 others filled Harrison Auditorium at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology on Saturday for an eclectic mix of Chinese performing arts groups arranged in conjunction by the CSSA at Penn, Drexel and Temple.

"Many people are getting more interested in China and our 5,000-year history as the economy grows," said Penn CSSA President Rong Huang, who is a Wharton graduate student. "This event is to promote Chinese culture and tradition."

However, for most in attendance -- the vast majority of them of Chinese descent -- the gala was an opportunity for the Chinese community to come together.

The show was conducted almost entirely in Mandarin Chinese and maintained a warm, lighthearted atmosphere throughout.

The audience laughed at the jokes of two men emulating a Chinese talk show while a small boy, oblivious, pushed a toy car along the lip of the stage.

The crowd then turned serious for a performance of the Peking Opera song "Temple of Ganlu." Next, everyone clapped in rhythm as pre-teen girls from Huaxia Chinese Language School modeled traditional and modern Chinese fashions.

Other acts included solo musical and dance performances, as well as group performances from acts such as PennYo -- Penn's Chinese a cappella group.

The Spring Festival surrounding the Chinese New Year is the largest holiday in China. It is traditionally celebrated for a week or more before the new year officially begins. This year, tomorrow marks the official starting date.

Attendees were mostly adults from the Philadelphia area or graduate students at Penn, Temple and Drexel. Huang said it was likely that few undergraduates attended because of the many direct outlets for Chinese culture on campus. The Penn CSSA, meanwhile, is a major source of Chinese culture for many of Penn's graduate students.

College senior Will Yu was not at the festival. "For me, Chinese New Year is more about being with family," he said. "I was with my family last night."

But for those with family on the other side of the world, the Spring Festival gala was an unusual treat.

"This is the first time I spent the Spring Festival away from my family in China," Penn Law student Joy Zhou said. "I miss my parents, but I think this is a good experience. That's why I enjoy the new year here. It's different."

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