You didn’t have to set foot in the EMU ballroom to know how much of a success the Chinese Students and Scholars Association’s China Night was.
Under a red insignia on one of the cement pillars that stood by the staircase was a large white sign that read “China Night is SOLD OUT.” If that wasn’t enough, proof could be found in the line of guests stretched from the front of the staircase, past the information desk in the EMU’s lobby, all the way down that hallway and up another flight of stairs.
The CSSA hosts China Night annually as a celebration of the Chinese New Year. It provides an event for those Chinese students and citizens who cannot make it home for the celebration. The goal of the night is to replicate the Spring Festival Gala, which is traditionally observed with friends and family on this holiday. In the spirit of the gala, the EMU event held 18 performances.These ranged from the Oregon Wushu team, which, according to one of their members, Wing Ng, is “a club sport on campus that focuses on performance-based mixed martial arts,” to a Korean Pop dance team.
Quanjia Lin, a financial supporter of the CSSA, believes the event is a very important one to hold.
“The Chinese New Year is our big event of the year and we are away from our friends, family and country, so now we can be together and celebrate,” said Lin.
The ballroom was decorated with traditional red Chinese lanterns and circular tables filled the room, draped with red tablecloths. The guests were dressed in different fashions; some wore more traditional garb and formal clothing, while others wore simple, casual outfits for the occasion. The diversity in age was just as drastic.
Guests sat around the tables looking over their red menus, which offered the items in both English and Chinese. At the bottom of the menu sat the face of a monkey with “2016” printed above it, representing that this is the year of the monkey.
Businesses like the Hub and Oregon Life parked right outside the ballroom, receiving plenty of traffic from the plethora of students who poured through the ballroom lobby.
The attendance was so astounding that the event didn’t get started until about a half hour after its planned time.