Cabarrus Chinese American Association will host its first Chinese New Year Celebration Saturday at Cox Mill High School.
The event will begin at 1 p.m. and be free to the public from then until 2:30 p.m. with showcases of business and culture, activities for children and traditional Chinese food and crafts for sale.
From 2:30 to 6 p.m., there will be a show with more than 50 performers. There will be performances by the RTP Chinese Singers Club, Ruby Slippers Chinese Dance Club, the NC-RTP Chinese Music Instrument Ensemble, Chinese Phoenix Arts and the Pacific Arts Troupe. Tickets are available online and at the door, and the event is open to the public.
The Chinese New Year, which will be officially celebrated on Jan. 23, is a time of the year that is similar to Christmas here because people travel to visit friends and relatives, said Mike Wang, president of Cabarrus Chinese American Association and genomics group leader for David H. Murdock Research Institute.
Wang said this event is a way for people who want to know more about Chinese culture to learn about it.
“People can enjoy Chinese food, music and dance and network with each other,” Wang said.
Cabarrus Chinese American Association was officially formed in May 2011 by a group of scientists at the North Carolina Research Campus. There are about 60 Chinese scientists who work at the Research Campus, Wang said, and a group of them met for a lunch meeting during the past two Chinese New Years.
The association was created to help people who move here get settled and to connect Chinese culture with American culture to better serve the community, Wang said.
One of the programs the association started is the Chinese Language and Art School, which began holding classes on Saturdays at Cox Mill Elementary School in September 2011.
The first half of class time focuses on learning the Chinese language, and the second half surrounds some sort of cultural activity, like Chinese dance, Wang said.
Proceeds from tomorrow’s event will go toward the school.
Currently, those who work at the school are volunteers.
Maggie Li teaches at the school and said she enjoys it.
“We still love what we’re doing now,” Li said. “When we see the kids come to school and learn Chinese…we feel very proud. Our efforts have paid off.”
She will provide Chinese riddles for children and adults at tomorrow’s celebration. Li said she hopes the event will build interest in the community for the school and Chinese culture.
“This is the biggest holiday in China,” Li said. “We want them to feel the holiday spirit…We have lots of activities for all kinds of people, and the food is good.”
Tickets for the performance part of the festival are $8 for adults online and $10 at the door. Children under six years old are free, and tickets for children six to 12 years old are $5.
To purchase tickets online and for more information about the association, visit www.cabarruschinese.org.
Contact reporter Jessica Groover: 704-789-9152
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