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Happy Chinese New Year
 Media Credit: Christine Johnson/Editor SCSU student Wen How Chan of Malaysia demonstrates the Chinese yo-yo during the Chinese New Year celebration �One Night in Shanghai� Saturday in the Atwood Ballroom. The event was organized by the Chinese Student Association.
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 Media Credit: Christine Johnson/Editor Kylee Brimsek of St. Cloud and Matthew and Emee Jagielski of Avon lie down on the ramp leading up to the stage during the Singing Marathon.
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 Media Credit: Christine Johnson/Editor Matthew Jagielski of Avon claps his hands during the Singing Marathon at the Chinese New Year celebration Saturday. The event attracted nearly 500 people of all ages.
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 Media Credit: Christine Johnson/Editor Shin Yee Tan of Malaysia dances during the drama �One Night in Shanghai.�
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Around 500 people gathered in Atwood Ballroom Saturday night to get a head start on the celebration of the soon to come: Chinese New Year.
With a scene from the streets of Shanghai on stage, cultural booths and bright decorations spread throughout and people of all ages and all cultural backgrounds dressed in traditional Chinese dresses; the night brought a new meaning to cultural sharing.
"The international student community on campus has a significant impact on everyone in your classrooms, in your residence halls and in your activities," SCSU President Roy Saigo said as he welcomed the crowd and thanked the members of Chinese Student Association who put the event together.
"You bring invaluable gifts to each other and all of us," he added. "Let this be the beginning of a great and prosperous new year for St. Cloud State University and its international family."
Then, with a crash of the cymbals, the official celebration began.
As always, the audience especially enjoyed the lion dance. Throughout the dance each of the lions, operated by two students each ran, jumped and danced to the beat of cymbals, drums and cheers by the audience.
CSA gave the audience a flavor of the changing culture with the performance of a drama about love, staged in the 1920s in a nightclub in Shanghai.
CSA members Hee Voon Law, Shee Jack Lieng and Wen How Chan showed some of the traditional aspects of the culture with a presentation of Chinese yo-yoing.
For other entertainment, the club presented a flute/piano duet and a traditional fan dance performed by a group of women who used fans as dance props.
The event drew to a close with a singing marathon featuring a choir who continuously sang several Chinese songs. The audience showed their appreciation of the singers by presenting nearly all of the singers with the decorative flowers that had been placed on each of the tables before the event began.
For Angela Moy, one of the three emcees for the evening, this year's celebration marked her fourth Chinese New Year at SCSU.
Moy was happy with the turnout and with the fact that so many audience members participated by coming dressed in traditional Chinese clothing.
"There are so many things to share," Moy said. "This brings everyone together to meet new people and brings another culture for everyone (in the community) to know."
As an American-born Chinese with parents who migrated from Hong Kong, Moy has a slightly different background than most of the CSA members.
"Growing up here makes me more comfortable talking to people," she said comparing herself to some of the other members who might have grown up in more homogenous communities.
Having different childhood experiences in different countries has created some challenges for Moy and her family, but communication has been the key for balancing culture and values at home.
"We talk a lot," Moy said with a smile. "We speak Chinglish (a combination of Chinese and English)."
Cindy Sebastian, whose been a community member in St. Cloud for the past 15 years, attended the event with her 20 month old daughter Lilian Dorothy WenYang for the first time.
"I'm really surprised that they have so many cultural activities going on in such a small town," Sebastian said.
Sharon K. Sobotta can be reached at: [email protected]
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