Wen Long Feng, from the Shandong Province in China, favors a centuries-old style of kung fu from the Sung Dynasty. On Friday, Feng walked into University of Idaho Student Union Building looking forward to a scheduled martial arts exposition.
Katy Kithcart | Argonaut
The Confucius Institute held a gala celebrating the Chinese New Year Friday. The gala presented a variety of foods and activities including traditional martial arts.
This exposition, as well as many other demonstrations, was part of the Chinese New Year Gala hosted by UI’s Confucius Institute. The celebration welcomed the Year of the Horse and provided guests with education of Chinese culture.
Jie Chen, a director of the Confucius Institute, said the gala was a good chance to increase diversity in the Moscow community.
“We need this kind of opportunity to enhance and celebrate diversity,” Chen said. “We need it particularly in this area.”
Chen and Shengfei Han of the South China University of Technology coordinated the celebration.
Han said the event will help improve understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American community.
The evening began with a traditional Chinese banquet, followed by a martial arts demonstration of weapons and hand to hand combat conducted by coach Jason Bright of Moscow Shaolin Center for Martial Arts. Bright is affiliated with 200 schools worldwide and trains 10-15 students in Shaolin kung fu. Bright is a first-degree black belt.
Despite breaking his hand not long before the demonstration, Bright still showcased his talent. He said his swollen knuckles prevented him from performing with a weapon. The performers experience ranged from three months to eight years.
“I’m really proud of the students who chose to participate,” Bright said.
Bright said it takes a lot of moxie to perform in front of such a large audience.
Other martial arts exhibitions featured were Praying Mantis Pick and Play Fist, Short Stick of the Northern Beggar and Sea Dragon Cane.
Throughout the gala, multiple forms of Chinese music were represented and performed by UI affiliated students.
Tyler Thompson, a UI student from Oakland, Calif., has been learning the Chinese language for 11 years. At the gala, Thompson sang Beijing opera pieces associated with Chinese culture.
“With this type of music, though, for me as an American it’s different,” Thompson said. “I basically started off reading whatever was on the paper my teacher gave me.”
Thompson has performed for “Good Morning America,” CNN and twice for the mayor of Oakland.
The event featured a Chinese zither, also referred to as gu zheng, which was played by Xidan Zhang. A zither is an instrument with 18 or 21 strings. It is played on its side with picks attached to the tips of the musician’s fingers.
Qiuyang Fu and Qian Xie sang a Chinese folk duet called “Conquer.”
You Qiang, associate professor in the UI physics department, provided a calligraphy demonstration while his daughter and her friend performed on a piano and flute nearby.
There was a raffle that included three iPod Shuffles, one iPod Touch, one iPad Mini and multiple gift cards. Recently named UI President Chuck Staben and Interim President Don Burnett spoke during the event and helped distribute raffle prizes.
Guests of the event, Craig Fleener and his daughter Cortney Fleener, said they were surprised to see so many people at the gala.
“I was shocked that people were turned away from the door because (the event) was sold out,” Craig Fleener said.
This gala was the first Chinese New Year celebration the Confucius Institute coordinated. The institute started in summer 2013 and is an organization that functions as a link for UI students and faculty to understand and collaborate with Chinese culture.
Jake Smith can be reached at [email protected]
