During Spring Festival Chinese students in Washington, D.C. celebrate in various ways at the school home. CCTV America interviewed students from The George Washington University to talk about their Chinese New Year experience in Washington, D.C.
Victoria Zhang is from Beijing, She described her Chinese student community as a “home away from home.”
“It’s my first time having Spring Festival away from home. In Beijing, I used to cook New Year dinner with my family, which is an important family tradition. This year, I made many new friends here and I cooked Spring Festival dinner with them. Although I missed my family so much, I still feel lucky to have so many new friends to celebrate new year with me. It is fun and special,” Zhang said.
The Chinese Students and Scholars Association at The George Washington University held a Spring Festival Gala at school, with more than 420 students attending the event. The event is sponsored by the Chinese embassy. The student organization planned the event for over three months. The gala consists of 12 performances. Gifts and red envelopes are also given away as part of the Spring Festival tradition.
“We have planned this gala since last semester. For students like me who are away from home during Spring Festival, we created this gala for them to gather and celebrate together. All the performers are voluntary and the school provided us with this nice venue. GWU is truly a diverse community with support and respect for different cultures, ” said Zetian Zhang, the student director of the gala.
From making New Year dinner at home to hosting their own gala, Chinese students found interesting ways to celebrate the Year of Monkey even a long way from home.