By: Saira Afzal
On 5-7 February, LSESU’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) organised a Chinese New Year market in the Centre Building Plaza, welcoming in the holiday with activities, games, and traditional snacks.
Students enjoyed festival games like pitch-pot, ring toss, and lantern riddles for prizes, all traditionally associated with good luck. The market hosted a plethora of DIY workshops, including lacquer fan-making, calligraphy, stone rubbing, and lantern making.
The calligraphy workshop involved writing Chinese phrases like “Happy New Year” and “Good Fortune” on red paper, which are then hung up on doors to bring wealth and prosperity.
Most popular was the stone rubbing DIY workshop, showcasing a 1,500 year old technique used to create inscriptions. The process involves placing a sheet of paper over stone and inking over it, to recreate Chinese art or texts. This method has long been a part of China’s artistic and cultural history, so it’s no wonder the workshop was constantly busy!
Students could also create or purchase beautiful beaded jewelry, embroidery art and cultural gifts from the stands. Traditional Chinese snacks and gift bags were also available, adorned with intricate traditional designs, with the gift bags containing natural Chinese medicines believed to bring good fortune.
We asked students what Chinese New Year meant to them, and how they typically choose to celebrate. Catherine, a BSc Economics student and a CSSA member, said Chinese New Year meant a “day of gathering for families”, which she considers a special time as it is difficult for everyone to gather together at other times in the year.
Catherine’s favourite dish to eat on Chinese New Year is dumplings, because she brings together her friends and family to make them as a team. Everyone has a different role; some are in charge of filling the dumplings or closing the outside so they can be cooked, turning the creation of a traditional dish into a fun bonding experience. Catherine’s favourite activity on Chinese New Year is to receive red envelopes from her family, as it’s the one chance to receive lots of money from loved ones!
Jessica-May Cox, a BSc Sociology student, told us that Chinese New Year is a “time of joy in a dark and depressing winter”. Her favourite dish to eat during the holiday is lamb hotpot from Haidilao, and her favourite activity is to watch the dragon dance in Chinatown.
Lucas Ngai, a BA History student, said Chinese New Year was always a “chill way to get together with family”, and that he looked forward to seeing his cousins during the holiday. One of Lucas’ core memories is playing Wii Sports at his relative’s place with his cousins, which became an at-home tradition for his family.
Lucas’ favourite dish to eat on Chinese New Year is Nian gao, also known as “Chinese New Year’s sweet rice cake”.
Emma Do, who celebrates Lunar New Year, told us that the holiday for her simply means “home”. Emma’s favourite dish to eat during the holiday is chung cake, a traditional Vietnamese cake usually made from rice cake, mung beans, and pork belly.
