Culture is the symbol of a nation, especially for people living abroad. As the third dominant language in Centre County area, Chinese becomes the bridge connecting the cultural heritage with Chinese international students and American Born Chinese. Chinese cultural night, held every two years, provides a platform for Chinese descendants to gather and share.
The second Chinese Cultural Night was presented on April 9 at Mount Nittany Middle School in State College. The executive director of the event, Liza Yuen, said, from traditional musical instruments to opera dance, various types of performances with both informative and esthetic quality, can bring a layer of different color to the local community.
“For the kids who were born and raised in State College, State College is their home,” Yuen said, “It is our mission to show them the cultural aspect of Chinese tradition.”
One of the hosts, Alice Lin, a Chinese descendant born and raised in the United States, said that it’s important that they being in the show because it helps teach them their Chinese background and the culture around where their family came from. “It’s a great way to spread Chinese culture to even the little kids and have them be part of it.”
Different from any showcase organized by Penn State student club, Chinese cultural night is targeted to creating a channel for Chinese offspring a sense of recognition of their cultural identity, instead of promoting Chinese culture.