A Lunar New Year (also called Spring Festival in Chinese) celebration hosted by Trent University Chinese Student Association (TUCSA) and supported by Trent International Program and the Chinese section of Modern Languages and Literatures department was a blast on February 28. Wenjack Theatre provided an ideal venue for the event which made headlines in several local newspapers.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, this year is the year of the Ram. Two students wearing the lucky charm of Ram costumes were greeting the guests at the door and red envelopes were given out to the first 100 early birds to wish them a prosperous new year. 

Approximately 200 people attended the event, which featured live performances of traditional Chinese dancing, singing, magic, and a fusion of Tabla and Marimba music. The event concluded with an all-you-can-eat dinner by a local Chinese restaurant. There were prize draws during the show. Lucky winners won and took back a Mercedes-Benz watch, an Apple I-Mac, a 51” Samsung TV, and printers.

Dr. Michael Allcott, director of the Trent International Program, gave the opening remarks. He addressed that he was glad to see people from different communities gathering to celebrate this important day of the Chinese community. 

Lunar New Year is one of the most important festivals for Chinese people. It is the time “when our families and friends get together to have a good time and celebrate,” said TUCSA president, Mingjun (Jeva) Cheng. “TUCSA has hosted many other events including Mid-Autumn Festival and TUCSA Basketball Competition in the past years to offer a platform for student connections,” he added.  

Dr. Shaoling Wang, professor of Chinese language of Modern Languages and Literatures department commented: “This event by far is the grandest one organized by a student organization that I have attended. An event like this scale at Trent University not only gives the Chinese community in Peterborough an opportunity to get together while being away from home but people with other cultural backgrounds also have a chance to experience and learn the significance of the festival that is associated with Chinese culture and customs.”

This festival will be followed by a series of Chinese language and culture workshops/lectures organized by TUCSA and the Chinese section of Modern Languages and Literatures department. The first talk on Chinese Performing Art – Chinese Opera by Dr. Shaoling Wang will be held on March 14 at 2:30pm in the Bata Library Film Theatre. The series of the workshops/lectures is open to everyone who is intrigued by and interested in Chinese language and culture.