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Bailey Thompson<\/strong> | News Editor<\/span><\/p>\n The final year in a 12-part cycle, 2019 marks the Year of the Pig in Chinese culture. In order to commemorate this occasion, the WOU Chinese Students and Scholars Association and the Office of International Education and Development hosted Western\u2019s annual Chinese New Year Celebration on Jan. 31 in the Pacific Room of the Werner University Center.<\/span><\/p>\n Having thoroughly packed the room and fed their guests an authentic Chinese dinner, the organizers of the event started off the night\u2019s performances with a lion dance by visiting performers from White Lotus Crew in Portland. Emerging from the back of the room, the two lions made their way into the room while dancing and interacting with the crowd. They launched oranges and lettuce out at the audience, and their performance concluded with confetti and banners saying, \u201cHappy New Year\u201d and \u201cBest Wishes To All.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While sharing the traditions she remembers of celebrating the new year in China, Luo said that her experience involves eating, spending time with family and one other notable thing.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe fun part is the younger kids can get a red envelope which is always filled with money from their parents or relatives,\u201d said Luo.<\/span><\/p>\n Before the other performances would begin, the emcees introduced President Rex Fuller, who made a few remarks about the significance of this particular year.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis year, 2019, is especially important that we take a moment and really thank and welcome our visiting students and scholars from China and Nepal and other parts of the world,\u201d said Fuller. \u201cYou make our lives brighter, you make our campus better and you portray a global atmosphere for all our students, faculty and staff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Fuller also went on to talk about the personalities of people who were born in pig years: 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007 and 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat are some of the characteristics of those born in the years of the pig? They may not stand out in the crowd, but they are very realistic,\u201d said Fuller. \u201cOthers may be all talk and no action \u2014 pigs are the opposite. Though not wasteful spenders, they will enjoy life. They love entertainment and will occasionally treat themselves. They are a bit materialistic, but this motivation for them is to work harder.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Fuller then concluded his description of those born in pig years by highlighting the harmony that pigs strive for, which is also something he also emphasized that our world needs.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPigs are gentle and rarely lose their temper, and when they do, it\u2019s never dramatic. They\u2019ll always try to compromise and settle things quickly because their goal in life is for everyone to live in harmony,\u201d said Fuller. “What a nice thought, everyone living in harmony.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n After this speech, the main entertainment of the night began. Moving through the program, there were fourteen different songs and dances that were performed, ranging from Beijing Opera to a modern hip-hop routine. And, while many of the performers were traditional college-aged students, there were also a couple of routines that featured Chinese women of a variety of ages dancing together.<\/span><\/p>\n Another highlight of the performances was a dance called \u201cThe Journey of Chasing Dreams,\u201d which was accompanied by an artist creating Chinese calligraphy onstage. As the dancers moved around her, the artist wrote out four Chinese words which she said could be translated to say \u201cbetter wishes for all in the pig year\u201d in English.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAs you know, the calligraphy is a very big part of Chinese culture,\u201d said the artist. \u201cThe words I write today is called official script. This is a very well-known and classic style of words, but in China most people now write with regular script \u2014 from left to right \u2014 but in ancient times people would write their names in right to left.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n One dance which had a familiar story for many was titled \u201cButterfly Lovers,\u201d a dance with a story that was similar to one very well-known in America.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI heard it was like the Chinese version of Shakespeare\u2019s tragic classic Romeo and Juliet,\u201d said Soh.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/files\/2019\/02\/ChineseNewYear2-483x1024.jpg\")
With the audience engaged, the emcees then took the stage and introduced themselves as Jenny Yang, Ankit Shrestha, Jingxiong Soh and Qiong Luo. <\/span><\/p>\n