BYU-Hawaii Chinese students not able to return home for Chinese New Year, say despite being away it is still a symbol of celebration, and the holiday connects people no matter where they are in the world.
Chinese New Year is not just about having fun, said Junjie Wu, a sophomore studying business management from China and vice president of the China club. It has lasted for thousands of years because “it’s about the connections we make with our families and the hopes for the new year.” The most important thing he wants to pass to his children, he said, is the reminder that Chinese New Year makes them who they are.
He explained further, “It’s the one time every year you can meet your family members. Chinese people always care about their family. They emphasize it as much as the restored gospel does.
“The most important thing is making [Chinese New Year] meaningful to yourself. It’s not just because Chinese New Year is important, it’s because you treasure the relationship with your family.”
According to the website Chinese New Year, the holiday is based on the Chinese zodiac known as “sheng xiao.” Within the zodiac, there are 12 animals, and the holiday signals the transition from one animal to the next.
This year’s zodiac is the Ox, the second animal in the zodiac calendar. Chinese New Year states, “According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order [of the animals] would be decided by the order in which they arrived at his party.” The Ox is second because the Rat got a ride to the party, but arrived ahead of the Ox.”
The website says that in Chinese culture, the Ox is a valued animal because of its role in agriculture as well as its positive characteristics, like handwork and honesty. The site also says those born in the year of the Ox are “honest and earnest” and are recognized for their hard work, logical thinking and great capacity to lead.
Shufeng Du, a senior studying business marketing from China and president of the China Club, said Chinese New Year is like Christmas in the United States. “It’s important because we always celebrate with family. It’s a time to eat good food and have fun,” he said.
Du said traditionally, people will gather with their families for about a week, but preparation for Chinese New Year starts the week before. “They eat a lot of food and play games, but they also wash their cars, clean their house, get a haircut and buy new clothes to change their appearance,” he said. China Highlights, a website outlining Chinese culture, says buying new clothes and cleaning the house emphasizes the idea of renewal, symbolic of the new year.
Wu added even though he and Du are not able to return home this year, Chinese New Year is still a symbol of celebration for them. “When Chinese New Year comes, you already start to think about wanting to celebrate,” he said. “It has the ability to connect us no matter where we are in the world.”
Du said the China Club celebrated virtually through Zoom this year on Feb. 12. He explained the club used WeChat, a multipurpose communication app, to send traditional red envelopes with cash to one another. China Highlights stated the money is not the focus, the color of the envelope is.
Du said, “Wrapping lucky money in red envelopes is expected to bestow more happiness and blessings on the receivers. Hence, it is impolite to open a red envelope in front of the person who gives it to you.”
Wu said the pandemic plays a huge part in why this year’s club celebrations are virtual. “The way we meet is different, but we’re trying to connect with Chinese students through this Zoom meeting because some students have returned home,” he said. “We want them to feel the China chapter still cares about them. That’s why the connection remains important.”
Cheng Wei Li, a junior studying business management and finance and president of the Taiwan Club, said some young people from China and Taiwan who study abroad assimilate to the culture, which means they do not understand what they can and cannot do during Chinese New Year.
As an example, Li said during Chinese New Year, many families eat fish because the pronunciation of fish in Chinese sounds like the word “extra” or “something more,” so any leftover fish means good luck. “That’s something school won’t teach you at any level,” he said. “I do hope [students] can still respect others that are traditionalists, especially their elders.”
Li said the celebration is the same in Taiwan but being with family is easier because of accessible travel. “It’s especially important because families want to gather to celebrate,” he said. “Families are closer-knit because it is easier to get together. If we have some problems, we can always call our family to talk. They often live right around the corner.”
“New Year is different because your in-laws and relatives come to celebrate with you. It’s a reason to eat together or play together,” Li said. He added it reminds him of who he really is. “Chinese New Year celebrates our culture. I don’t have a lot of family here, but my immediate family remind me of that identity,” he said.
Chinese New Year celebrates our culture. I don’t have a lot of family here, but my immediate family remind me of that identity.
“Chinese New Year also reminds me about my identity and my family,” Li continued. “We always say tuanyuan, or reunion, when gathering with family.” He said the most important thing about Chinese New Year is being reunited with loved ones.
Li explained another tradition at Chinese New Year is to watch the lion dance at traditional temples. “We used to copy the lion dance all the time when we were kids,” he said. “It got so crazy at times that some people ended up doing the dance on people’s cars. Being loud is a tradition at Chinese New Year. People are enjoying themselves.”
For Li, this year is special because it is his son’s first Chinese New Year, he said. “We’ve prepared a lot of traditional things to celebrate,” he said. “We bought new clothes, especially red ones. I’ve never had a BYU–Hawaii shirt until now, so I bought one because the colors corresponded with Chinese New Year.”