Several hundred members of the Syracuse community gathered in Schine Student Center Friday Feb. 4 to celebrate the beginning of the Chinese New Year.
The Spring Gala, sponsored by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), brought together SU faculty and students along with members of the local community to engage in Chinese traditions. CSSA celebrated the beginning of Chinese New Year, and a new year in raising cultural awareness on campus, by hosting a dinner with performances by Chinese student groups.
Guests were invited to help themselves to a buffet of Chinese delicacies. Overflowing trays of dumpling, rice noodle and orange pork loin lined the tables inside Goldstein Auditorium. Lulu Liu, a sophomore information studies and accounting major from Qingdao, China, said much of the food served is traditional to the meals served during New Year celebrations in China. Liu said the Gala is a great way to get out and celebrate with others.
“People sit together at a round table and we chat and eat together, and eat dumplings,” Liu said.
As the dinner concluded, guests were treated to a series of performances by students and local groups. Before the commencement of the performances, special thanks and recognition was given to the guests in attendance. Special thanks was given to the SU Library staff who provided much support to the multiple Chinese art displays at Bird library.
SU's Vice Chancellor and Provost, Eric Spina, was also in attendance, and spoke on behalf of the SU community. Spina noted the significance of strengthening the current relationship between China and the United States.
“An important indicator of change in the world was the visit just a couple weeks ago of the President of China Hu Jintao to the United States. It was a milestone for US-China relations,” Spina said.
Spina concluded by thanking students for working to bridge cultural divides at SU.
After the lights dimmed on the stage, guests were entertained with a traditional Lion Dance performance by Syracuse Kung Fu. The brilliant yellow, red and black dragons danced their way through the audience. The three dragons performed to the rhythm of a four-person percussion band.
The Lion Dance was followed by an array of different performances ranging from singing and dancing to the playing of traditional Chinese instruments, lasting well into the night.
