WLLC Chinese Program Celebrates Lunar New Year

On Friday, Feb. 7, WLLC's Chinese Program hosted the Spring Festival celebration, also known as the Chinese Lunar New Year, in the World Languages and Digital Humanities Studio (JBHT 207).  

More than 35 students attended the celebration. During the event, students engaged in hands-on cultural experiences, such as making dumplings from scratch and using their knowledge of Chinese characters to solve riddles. 

"We hosted a vibrant celebration at the University of Arkansas to bring students together and immerse them in China's most significant traditional festival," said Li Yang (instructor, Chinese). "This celebration not only fostered cultural appreciation and community engagement but also enriched the university's diverse learning environment by promoting cross-cultural understanding and interactive language learning." 

According to the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, the Spring Festival is one of the most famous of the world's New Year's festivals, where celebrations begin on New Year's Eve of the lunar new year and last for 15 days — ending with the lantern festival. The Spring Festival period is important for families as well; many people make the annual chunyun (spring travel) to spend time with their family. Lunar New Year is celebrated by other Asian countries as well, including Mongolia, Korea and Vietnam, at the same time each year as China.

Students made dumplings from scratch at the Spring Festival celebration on Feb. 7.