Date: Friday, February 9, 2018
Venue: Asian Centre
Time: 10:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
On Friday, February 9th, 2018, the Department of Asian Studies presented the annual Lunar New Year Celebration – Year of the Dog. The Lunar New Year marks an important holiday and is celebrated by many Asian countries, significantly for China, Korea, Vietnam and Singapore. The spectacular event was sponsored and supported by the Department of Asian Studies & Education Office, Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Vancouver and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea.
This remarkable event displayed the pronounced quality of multiculturalism at The University of British Columbia. An exclusive bonus to the event is the great diversity of MCs who are of different backgrounds and spoke various languages including: Mandarin, English, French, Cantonese, Korean, and Swahili. The event was launched with opening greetings from Dr. Joshua Mostow (Acting Head, Asian Studies Department), Mr. Fu. Yunan (Education Consultant, Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Vancouver), Dr. Donald Baker (Professor of Korean history and Civilization) and Dr. Stefania Burk (Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts).
The celebration was followed immediately by the greatly anticipated Lion Dance, performed by the Shaolin Hung Gar Kung Fu Association. After of which, came the fabulous student performances, which totals over twenty astounding presentations. There were amazing singing performances, breathtaking Cpop and Kpop dancing, beautiful Hanfu Fashion Show, mind blowing Magic Show and the most memorable being an enormous sing-a-long to wrap up the morning program. All these performances involved the collaboration of heritage and non-heritage students, some of which have only learnt the language for two months. Students from lower levels and upper levels had the opportunity to perform together and create a mutual bond through the Lunar New Year celebration. The central target and purpose of this awesome event was to promote the multicultural and societal aspect of the UBC community.
In addition to the students’ engagement, members of various faculties also came to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Dr. Bruce Fulton did a poem recitation of a well-known Korean poem, he also read the lyrics of Super Junior’s popular song, Sorry Sorry. The audience learned to appreciate the beauty of Korean literature and enjoyed the popularity of Korean culture.
At noontime, crowds gather in the Asian Centre Lobby awaiting to be served lunch, the menu included Chinese, Cantonese and Korean cuisine. The Asian Library also provided activities such as Yut Nori Game, Riddles and Fortune Pockets for the public. The afternoon program included various hands on cultural activities and provided a great learning opportunity for cultural games and traditions. There were many activities, including bean picking, ring toss, Chinese diabolo, mah-jong, hand sewing, and paper cutting. The most outstanding activities that elevated the interests of many guests included Calligraphy, led by Mr. Zhining, Zheng and Seal Engraving, crafted by Mr. Maorong, Cheng, two well-expereinced lecturers of Chinese Language Programs at UBC.
Besides the abundance of UBC students joining this enormous event, even elderly people and young children were amongst the crowd. Many people from local communities nearby also came to celebrate the Lunar Festival. The event was praised and complimented to be the largest and most organized Lunar Festival at UBC. The Chinese Language Program, Korean Language Program, Cantonese Language Program and the Department of Asian Studies would like to extend their acknowledgement and recognition to all the wonderful volunteers who devoted their time to prepare, arrange and organize this successful event! This year, these there language programs gathered over one hundred volunteers to help with the event. It gave students the opportunity to work together and identify unity. It allowed the enhancement of community build up, collaboration, cooperation, and teamwork among the students of UBC!
