“Lan Su Chinese Garden's New Year celebration creates cultural connections for youths - Oregonian” plus 1 more

Lan Su Chinese Garden's New Year celebration creates cultural connections for youths - Oregonian

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Published: Saturday, February 05, 2011, 6:24 PM Updated: Saturday, February 05, 2011, 6:56 PM

As the crashing beats of drums and cymbals filled Portland's Lan Su Chinese Garden on Saturday, Sydney Barron stared in awe as two brightly colored lion dancers moved through the crowd.

For Sydney and her family, the celebration is a way for the girl -- adopted from China -- to connect to her heritage. Her grandfather, Mike Gorman, who describes himself as "very Irish," has brought the family to the garden's celebrations since she was 2.

"I really believe we all come from a certain kind of heritage -- of a certain stock," he said, "and I think it's important that she knows her culture."

At its core, that's what this Chinese New Year's celebration is about -- connecting and maintaining Chinese culture in an increasingly busy world. And along with events for visitors, the celebration provides an outlet for local Chinese community groups to show off their talents.

One of those was the Portland Chinese School's yo-yo team. Boys and girls from the weekend school, which teaches language, demonstrated high-flying Chinese yo-yos.

Chinese New Year events

When: Events from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Feb. 17

Admission: $8.50 for adults; $7.50 for seniors (62 and older); $6.50 for students (ages 6-18 and college students with ID); children 5 and younger get in free

"These (activities) help maintain culture and identity," said Yeow Thum, a parent of one of the team members. "It's a struggle -- a huge struggle."

The best days to see those activities will be Saturdays and Sundays, which include lion dances, other dance groups, martial arts and hands-on activities such as lamp making.

And although the weekend events largely cater to the younger crowd, that doesn't mean adults have to sit out the celebrations.

"We have something all 15 days," said Scott Steele, the garden's spokesman.

Each weekday offers three or four events targeted at the grown-ups. There are lectures on Eastern medicine, calligraphy, feng shui, tai chi and more. Those days will be the best to enjoy the garden's setting, Steele said.

But "it's not just a quiet place for adults to walk; it's an active place," Steele said. "A garden like ours would've been someone's home hundreds of years ago, and they would have had parties. The garden is many things to many people."

And even on a busy day such as Saturday, when hundreds crowd around the garden's central four-sided hall, it's still possible to find a peaceful corner.

But for most, the event's biggest draw is the energetic dances and performances.

"I like the lion dance best," Sydney said as she played with a bright pink lion marionette from the gift shop.

"I think it's wonderful," her grandfather said. "We come back year after year."

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Fires damage Chinese cultural sites - YAHOO!

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BEIJING (AFP) – Fires engulfed a 1,000 year-old temple and a historic ancient village in China as Lunar New Year fireworks sparked thousands of blazes across the country, state press said Tuesday.

Parts of the ancient Fahai Temple, built in 945 in southeast China's Fujian province, were destroyed by a fire that started early Monday morning, the China News Service reported.

Nearly 150 fire fighters fought the blaze, the report said. No fatalities or casualties were reported, while a building containing most of the temple's ancient Buddhist texts was unharmed.

Firemen were investigating the cause of the blaze, while locals speculated that it was caused by fireworks, Xinhua news agency reported.

Fireworks are lit in large numbers in China during the Lunar festival, a tradition believed to scare evil spirits from entering the new year.

Nearly 6,000 fires broke out in China in the first 32 hours of the Lunar New Year that began February 3, with most caused by fireworks, the China Daily said Monday, citing the public security ministry.

Also early Monday a fire engulfed Ciqikou ancient village in southwest China's Chongqing municipality, the Chongqing Daily said.

The blaze destroyed souvenir and snack shops in the village, an ancient pottery manufacturing centre and currently a tourist attraction, the report said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, reports said.

Both fires began early Monday, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year and traditionally a time for setting off fireworks in the hope of finding wealth in the new year.

On Thursday last week, fireworks touched off a blaze that engulfed a high-rise hotel in Shenyang city, the provincial capital of northeast China's Liaoning province, state media said

No one was injured in the blaze, which broke out shortly after midnight at the three-building Dynasty Wanxin complex, which included a five-star hotel, Xinhua news agency said.

In 2009, a Lunar New Year blaze sparked by an illegal fireworks display engulfed a luxury hotel being built inside the state TV headquarters complex in Beijing, killing a firefighter and causing a public relations mess for China Central Television.

A former top television executive at CCTV, one of the Communist Party's chief propaganda arms, was jailed for seven years for his role in causing the blaze.

Cultural

Thursday, February 17, 2011