You may know about the Chinese Lunar calendar. Who has not seen the twelve lovely animals, roost, ox, dragon, boar, etc., representing each year, maybe on paper towels in Chinese restaurants or on the US postal stamps? Well, in case you are not aware, the year of Tiger is right around the corner.

Talking about Chinese New Year, you probably think of the lively lion dances, fantastic fireworks, and elaborate celebrations, but you would imagine all those wonderful things only take place in big cities such as New York or San Francisco, right? Wrong. If you like Chinese kung-fu, if you enjoy Chinese food, if you are interesting in learning Chinese language, if you are curious about Chinese music, dances, and many forms of performing arts, if you wonder why so many Chinese kids you know or heard of make to those elite universities in the US, or if you simply want to get to know something about the big country and its culture while having great time, come to join the biggest Chinese New Year Party, right here in Columbus.

The third annual Chinese Festival will take place in Westerville South High School, on February 20. It is organized by Chinese Culture Link (CCL) and Ohio Contemporary Chinese School (OCCS), joined by more than a dozen local and national organizations, including ones from Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Athens. It is also recognized and financially supported by Franklin County Arts Council. In the previous two celebrations, it attracted more than 7,000 enthusiastic participants each time. This year, nearly one hundred volunteers have diligently worked in 22 subcommittees for many months, which will probably make it an even greater success.

There will be two stage show galas, each two and half hours long. They will present the audience a variety of artistic performances, including Peking opera, lion dances, ballet, traditional Chinese instruments, Western musical instruments, Chinese ethnic dances, martial arts, choir, popular songs and music. Many of the more than three hundred performers are top quality professional and amateur artists, with some of them coming from neighboring cities in Ohio and Michigan to bring their very best shows. New to this year, Hunan TV, one of the most popular TV networks in China, will record the shows and broadcast to audiences all over the world.

In addition to art performances, visitors will have the opportunity to attend informative and refreshing cultural demonstrations. They will be able to experience tea preparation as a form of art at the tea show. One of China’s culture treasures, Chinese calligraphy, sometimes called 'dancing on paper', will be featured live by a couple of well known Chinese calligraphers. There will also be Chinese ethnic costume shows, artwork, artifacts, crafts, and photos will be displayed throughout the Festival. New to this year’s celebrations are several seminars, including an introduction to the unique Chinese medicine, and a talk by a Chinese math professor on the comparison of math education in the US and China. He will specifically address how to guide your kids to study mathematics. All these demos and talks are, of course, in English.

Unlike many other festivals, the Chinese Festival also put together sports competitions in badminton, table tennis, basketball, and volleyball. Players from Ohio and neighboring states will participate in city competitions or compete for individual medals. In addition to athletic competitions, there will be also mind games such as Weiqi(Go), Chinese Chess, Chess, and Mahjong. You don't need to be good at them to have fun, and all the tournaments are open to everyone. If you are interested in join, please call the number provided below.

The Chinese Lunar New Year is always the favorite holiday of children, To make it a truly children's paradise on that day, a wide variety of games and craft activities are planned just for the kids. In the live stage performance, children often take center stage and their talents are widely appreciated by adults and children alike. Many games catered to children also come with prizes and gifts.

The organizers of the Chinese Festival states that their mission is to promote, showcase and celebrate the splendor and richness of Chinese culture; share its time honored, positive values; foster friendship, mutual respect and understanding among people of all racial and cultural background; and to contribute to the culture diversity of the Greater Columbus Area. It will be a great opportunity for people in Central Ohio to experience and appreciate may aspects of the Chinese culture. The event is free, with plenty of free parking spaces. Again, the time is February 20, from 11 AM to 7 PM. The address of WSHS is 303 South Otterbein Avenue, Westerville, OH 43081. For more information, you can visit www.ohiochinese.org, or contact Dr. Lin Xu at (614)560-6587, or email Dr. Xu at linxu.xu@gmail.com.

新闻图片: