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Arts & Culture

Ringing in the Year of the Pig

Chinese New Year Celebration Comes to Campus

By Carly Taylor ’19

Opera Costumes

Photos by Tyler Ecker

UMD students (from left) Ken Ling, Jenny Bo and Shulan Wu trade their regular weekend wear for elaborate costumes from Cantonese opera, which blends music, martial arts, acting and acrobatics.

People from across the D.C.-Baltimore region converged on campus Saturday for an afternoon of traditional arts, crafts and music, gravity defying acrobatics and other cultural enjoyments to celebrate the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year.

In anticipation of the Year of the Pig, which begins tomorrow, the Confucius Institute of Maryland (CIM) hosted the event at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union—rather than the typical location in the Smithsonian Institution, a shift made during the recent partial federal shutdown.

CIM promotes Chinese language and culture in Maryland and the greater Washington, D.C., metro area. This event was made possible through the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, and the Administration of Culture, Radio, Film, Television, Press, and Publication of Guangzhou Municipality. 

Rebecca McGinnis, coordinator at CIM, said the opportunity to host the event at the University of Maryland was extra-meaningful for the institute, because of the opportunity to showcase Chinese art and history in an academic setting.    

Check out some highlights:

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