CulturalFest Preview: Explore China
An interview with Yili Chen, the leader of the China booth at the upcoming CulturalFest International Expo.
Yili Chen (Jacky)
Visiting the CulturalFest International Expo on February 7 is a way to travel the world in just one day - and to do it for free! The Expo features booths led by University of Washington international students from all over the world who are eager to teach others about their home communities and cultures.
In the weeks leading up to the event, we'll be featuring interviews with some of the students to give a sneak peek into what visitors to the Expo can see and learn. Here's an interview with Yili (Jacky) Chen, a senior studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington, about the China booth.
What will CulturalFest visitors be able to see/do at your booth to learn about China?
We have prepared a lot of activities with visitors such as games like Chinese Chess. Since it’s closed to Lunar New Year time, we also prepared some Red Envelopes for game winners! Also we have cultural demonstrations like paper-cuts and calligraphy; visitors can give a try on cutting different pictures out of papers or writing Chinese with writing brush! CSSA (The Chinese Students and Scholars Association) will present the traditional clothing and Chinese Tea, so you can dress like and drink like the Chinese!
Last but not least, we also prepared slideshows about traveling in China, you may know or may not know those places and stories behind them. Come and see the China you have or haven’t experienced!
What do you most want people to know about China?
When I am asked to use a word to describe China, the first word that comes into my mind is diversity. There are 56 ethnic groups living on this vast land, and they all have their own culture; a lot of them have their own languages. China is a country with 5000 years history, and there are also thousands of modern cities built in past 30 years. Tradition and modernization, Eastern and Western culture are all coexisting on this land. A proverb states that if there are a thousand readers, there must be a thousand Hamlets; I would say, same as China.
If someone was going to travel to China, where would you recommend they visit?
Here are a few recommendations from China booth volunteers:
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
成都大熊猫繁育研究基地 (description and photos by Jinjing Liu)
In the panda base you can closely observe the pandas of different ages eating, sleeping, and playing. You may even have a chance to feed them under the guidance of panda keeper. The panda base has been described as “the best tourist destination to get close to the rare pandas”.
Baby pandas about 30 days after birth
Closely embracing a panda!
Bashang Grassland 坝上草原 (description and photos by Haoyu Wang)
Bashang Grassland is a section of Inner Mongolia which stretches from the oldest Jimingyi Postal Station to the Tianmo Desert. The vast grassland is conveniently 280km north of Beijing. The unique and bizarre mixture of natural landscapes makes it a popular destination for tourists and photographers.
Foshan, Guangdong 广东佛山 (description and photos by Yili Chen)
Foshan is also known as the capital city of Southern Chinese Kung-Fu, many famous Kung-Fu styles such as Hung-ga（洪拳）and Wing-Chun （咏春）are originally from here. Also Foshan is the hometown of Wong Fei-hung（黄飞鸿）, Yip Man（叶问 and Bruce Lee’s family. You don’t want to miss this if you love Chinese Kung-Fu!
Kung-Fu demonstration
Lion Dance
Nanjing, Jiangsu 江苏南京 (description by Mengyao Ren)
Nanjing is the capital of one of the six historical dynasties in China. Attractions in this area include the Qin Huai River, Confucius Temple (夫子庙), Gong Yuan (贡院) (palaces for people to take part in the imperial examinations), Ming walls (大照壁), Zhonghua Gate (中华门) and Zhanyuan Garden (瞻园).
Qinhuai River - photo by Mengyao Ren
Nanjing Confucius Temple - photo by Yili Chen
Who are the members of your booth and where are they from?
Currently there are approximately ten people in our booth, and we are all from China, and most of us are from different cities. We all grew up in China and come to study in UW, and we are proud to show China to the world!
In your experience as a student at UW, what’s the biggest difference between Seattle and your home country/city/community?
Life style is the biggest difference. In China most people live in the cities, and everywhere is much more crowded than downtown Seattle. There are plenty of options for hanging out, and public transportation is so convenient and fast. In Seattle the pace of life is much slower, and people here love doing all kinds of sports most of the time, which is quite different from China.
Anything else you want to share?
Food is an important part of culture especially for China. There are eight different cuisines styles in China. In the US most of the time you can mainly find Cantonese and Sichuan food, and most of them taste different. So come to China, and you will find Chinese food is much more than Mongolian beef, walnut shrimp, chow main and fortune cookies. Chinese food is a broad and profound art, it’s much more than you have ever imagined.
Thanks to Jacky and to all the students who are working hard to make this CulturalFest amazing! Learn more about the International Expo here.
CulturalFest is a two-day event which also features a Performance Showcase at Meany Hall and a Benefit Reception and Silent Auction where guests can bid on local and global items to support FIUTS. Get your tickets to the performances and auction here, or in the FIUTS office in HUB 206.
Hope to see you at CulturalFest!
More CulturalFest Previews: Explore Kuwait, Explore Sri Lanka, Expore Cambodia