Chinese New Year Temple Fair brings tradition, celebration to campus

Energized performances and vibrant booths featuring Chinese cuisine and traditional games filled Mountaintop Campus’ Building C on Saturday. 

The event was the Chinese Students and Scholars Association’s annual Chinese New Year Fair. This year’s celebration kicked off the Year of the Snake and honored the nation’s culture and traditions. 

Annie Li, ‘26, president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, said this event is the group’s most important of the year. 

“(It’s) not only to promote Chinese culture but also to give Lehigh’s Asian students a sense of belonging in the United States,” Li said. 

The event was planned in November and featured 16 stands with traditional Chinese activities, tea and snacks. The activities included paper-cutting, calligraphy and lantern riddles. 

Attendees were able to collect stamps by completing tasks at different stands. Once all the stamps were gathered, attendees had the chance to enter a lucky draw to win prizes such as red packets, also known as a hongbao, which are given as tokens of good wishes during occasions such as the Chinese New Year. 

“Last year’s Temple Fair attracted many people, so we’ve included more traditional Chinese and popular activities from recent years this year,” Li said.

In one corner of the room, a newly added lacquer fan-making station drew many people to stop by. This activity, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern creativity, showcased the special aesthetics of Chinese culture and sparked participants’ creativity.

Chenxi Yi, ‘28, attended the fair for the first time this year. She said she learned about the event from friends who had participated before.  

Her favorite activity was the lacquer fan-making, which she said was simple yet engaging.

Yi said ever since she moved from China to the United States for high school, she has rarely been able to experience the Chinese New Year atmosphere.

“Being surrounded by traditional snacks and cultural activities made me feel like I was back in China,” Yi said.

Compared to the celebrations she attended in high school, which were organized by local churches, Yi said she felt the fair was magical, bringing the Chinese New Year spirit to Lehigh.

“Whether people were speaking Chinese or not, everyone came together to enjoy the festival,” Yi said. “It was really touching.”

Nelly Nguyen, ‘25, also attended the event for the first time this year. Being Vietnamese having lived in the U.S. her whole life, she said she does not often celebrate the Chinese New Year.

She said she also heard about the fair through friends who attended last year. 

“I was curious about the event, and this is my last year at Lehigh, so why not come and experience it?” Nguyen said. 

Nguyen said she enjoyed the event, especially the performance and food, which highlighted the charm of Chinese culture.

The fair also featured a special Hanfu fitting area, where many attendees tried on traditional Chinese dresses for the first time and took photos to capture the charm of traditional Chinese attire.

Xing Gao, ‘24, was a member of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association when she attended Lehigh. She said she returned to the university just to attend the celebration. 

“This event was as good as last year or even better,” Gao said.

The stage program was another highlight of the fair, which featured band performances from Da Capo, White Room and Wandering Can, with a traditional lion dance performed by the Lehigh Lion Dance Club. 

With the sound of gongs and drums filling the space, the lion dance weaved through the crowd, captivating attendees.

“I rarely see lion dance performances, even in my hometown,” Gao said. “But I saw it here.”

As the event drew to a close, the energy remained high. During the lucky draw, everyone gathered in front of the stage, eagerly awaiting the announcement of their numbers. 

When the prizes were revealed, the crowd cheered, bringing the fair to a festive conclusion.

“The reason we put on the event in the first place is to make people happy,” Li said. “I think (the fair) was a success.” 

Li said the association is continuing to organize the fair for next year, and its members are looking forward to having more community members take part and experience Chinese culture.