Trent students, faculty and members of the Peterborough community came together to celebrate another New Year with the annual Chinese Spring Festival.

The event, organized by the Trent University Chinese Student Association (TUCSA), supported by the Trent International program, and Trent Modern Languages – Chinese section, and sponsored by many local businesses, featured live performances including Chinese rap, fan dance, Blue Brigade band and tap dancing. The highlight of the night was a Chinese poem reciting and the singing and dancing of a popular Chinese song “Little Apple” by the students of first-year Chinese language courses.  

“An event like this has not only made students feel at home and brought people from different cultural backgrounds together but it has offered an opportunity and platform for students to show their talents,” said Dr. Shaoling Wang, an instructor in the Modern Languages and Literature program at Trent University.

The Chinese Spring Festival, which is based on the Lunar Calendar, is the celebration of Lunar New Year and is often a time to spend with family and friends to enjoy unification and each other’s company. The event at Trent marked a special opportunity for international students, who may be missing home during the holiday, to celebrate their heritage at their new home at Trent University.

“The warmth, the friendship and the support these students have received from the Trent community make them feel at home,” said Dr. Michael Allcott, director of the Trent International Program, who attended the event to deliver opening remarks and bring greetings.