Happy Chinese New Year!

More than 200 people celebrated the start of the Year of the Dog at the Second Annual Spring Festival Chinese New Year Celebration, hosted February 10 by NJCU’s Confucius Institute, in conjunction with the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company.

President Sue Henderson and representatives of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in New York City, including Deputy Consul Dr. Zhao Yumin, were among those gathered at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark for the festivities. In Chinese astrology, each year is related to a Chinese zodiac animal according to a 12-year cycle – 2018 is an “Earth Dog” year.

Guests enjoyed a reception and a Dragon Dance, which is believed to bring good luck and was performed by dancers dressed in traditional Chinese costumes, as well as calligraphy and Chinese paper-cutting, an art that may date back to the second century.

NJCU wanted to begin celebrating the Chinese New Year after launching the Confucius Institute in 2015. The celebration aligns with the mission of the Institute to share the Chinese culture with the University community and beyond.