Although New Year's celebrations ended weeks ago for most of us in Athens, for the almost 500 Chinese students at Ohio University, the party has only just begun. Yesterday marked the beginning of Chinese New Year, the year of the Ox.
Last year, the year of the Rat, was monumental for China. National tragedy struck in May when the 19th deadliest earthquake of all time devastated the Chinese province of Sichuan, killing more than 69,000 people. Three months later, China hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Despite these headline-dominating events of last summer, I feel that I know very little about China or Chinese culture. Therefore, when I entered Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium on Sunday evening for the Chinese New Year celebration sponsored by OU's Chinese Student and Scholars Association, I was completely out of my element.
After passing through a group of children wearing traditional Chinese dresses, I entered a quickly filling auditorium. The front was already packed so I found a seat toward the middle and began to take in my surroundings. Large red paper lanterns cascaded from the ceilings, projecting a warm and inviting glow. Large red banners adorned with golden Chinese characters framed the stage. Soft traditional music played in the background. Greetings were shouted from across the room and conversations buzzed around my head; none of which I could understand. A quick glance around the room confirmed that there was not another American within rows of where I was sitting. I did not hear a word of English.
Through some research before the celebration I learned that the Chinese New Year is based on the tale of a monster named Nian who, according to legend, comes to towns in China on the first day of the year to destroy villages and eat livestock and even children. Yikes. The New Year celebrates the passing of Nian (literally translated as year.)
However, the celebration I witnessed was anything but scary; it was magnificent. The show began with a traditional lion dance which consisted of two large lion costumes that were each occupied by two dancers, thrashing their bodies to the beat of several drummers. I expected the next performance to be just as traditional as the lion dance, but instead was amused to see nine Chinese girls do a self-choreographed dance to the Pussycat Dolls and Justin Timberlake. A large sign illuminated behind them, proclaiming Girl's Power. The rest of the celebration followed suit with traditional performances followed by student-created acts, reminiscent of a talent show.
I was surprised to see that although some of the introductions were done in English, most of the show was done in Mandarin Chinese. There were several times when the audience burst out laughing and I was left alone, desperate to know the joke. I felt as though I had been temporarily transported out of the U.S. However, I was happy to see a group that hadn't been too deeply affected by the unwritten rule in the United States that if you want to live here, you must speak American. As the show continued, students sang, danced and read poetry as scenes of the Chinese countryside projected onto a screen behind them. Two hours quickly passed and it was time for the grand finale. Students, faculty and small children joined together on stage with linked hands to sing a famous Chinese pop song, Super Star. I couldn't understand a word they said, but the sentiment on their faces needed little translation: pride.
Christina Stanek is a senior studying Spanish education. Send her an e-mail at cs348305@ohiou.edu.
4 Opinion
Christina Stanek
