In honor of Chinese New Year and 2017, the year of the rooster, the International Student Council has planned an event to not only celebrate but bring a little cultural diversity to Utah County.
Steven Zhang, a pre-nursing sophomore and head of the Chinese New Year event committee, has incorporated family new year traditions for a fun and educational experience. According to Ying Li, a drafting technology junior and a committee member for the new year event, says that the event will focus on the rooster and its qualities.
“In the minds of the ancients, the rooster is an ordinary but great animal; the punctual call everyday to remind people the beginning of a new day is coming. Through the rooster’s call, we know that rooster is hard-working and trustworthy,” said Li. Zhang and his committee members will celebrate the rooster with performances, snacks and games.
Some of the performances include a fan dance and violin, flute and piano solos. Living in Utah County, there is not a lot of opportunity for cultural diversity. According to the US 2015 Census, of the 500,000 people living in Utah County, 93.3% of them are white. The other 6.7% of the county includes Pacific Islanders, Asian, African American, Hispanic, Latino or American Indian. With little diversity in race and culture, opportunities to learn about other cultures are limited.
The Chinese New Year event at UVU gives students and community members the opportunity to celebrate a holiday they normally wouldn’t.
“It an old tradition, it is the most representative holiday. I think it is the best way to share our culture,” said Zhang, “I would like to share the Chinese New Year experience with others.”
Li sees the value of learning about other cultures and believes that UVU is the perfect atmosphere for cultural diversity.
“This school has students from different countries, and this is the best chance to learn about the cultures of other countries. We study here and meet different people everyday,” said Li. “If we have a certain understanding of the national culture of others, we can better communicate with other people.”
Li and Zhang both hope that whoever attends the Chinese New Year event will enjoy their time and learn something new about the Chinese culture.
“I think it must be strange for some American students. But my friend told me that learning about other cultures and religions can explain something you maybe were confused about before. Because, sometimes the different culture will show you a new way of looking at life,” said Zhang.
The Chinese New Year event will be held in the Grand Ballroom on January 30 from 6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
