China Night: Celebration of Chinese New Year

China Night: The Saint Mary's Community came together to celebrate the Chinese New Year

On Sunday evening, the Saint Mary’s community filled the auditorium of the Little Theatre to experience Chinese culture in celebration of the New Year. Dr. Patricia Fleming, Senior Vice President and Dean of Faculty opened the evening with a welcome speech to express the importance of internationalizing the campus.

Following her speech was a presentation by Saint Mary’s participants in the China summer study program. With a slideshow of their travels in the background, the four students described the most memorable aspects of their experiences abroad. For Julie Hagopian ’11, the trip enhanced her love for the country and inspired her to continue her study of the Chinese language.

The evening was full of Chinese tradition, with kongfu, traditional music and dance, and a passing of red envelopes, which bestow good luck and wards off evil spirits. There were performances not only by Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame students, but also by the Granger Dance Company, Clay High School students, and children of the Saint Mary’s faculty. The children from the Granger Dance Company performed a Shin Jiang Tambourine Dance and a dance to “Me and my Little Umbrella.” The older group of young women performed a royal Chinese dance, called “At the Banquet,” and another dance called, “Love You All.”

Saint Mary’s International Students from China performed Chinese Classical music, with Wenwen Bai ’10 on the guzheng, Jingqiu Guan ’11 on the piano, and Jin Yang ’13 on the er ha. Later in the evening, Bai performed a Chinese Long Sleeve Dance, and Guan performed “Shin Jiang Girl,” a Chinese Folk dance. Chen Chen ’12 performed “The Fight with the Typhoon” on the guzheng. All three women dazzled the audience with their beauty and grace. To end the evening, there was a fashion show. Students from the different schools modeled their traditional Chinese attire, leaving the audience inspired and uplifted.

—Sarah Sheppard ’11