Chinese New Year falls on Monday, January 23 and will mark the beginning of the Year of the Dragon. UBC experts are available to comment on its cultural and social significance and the astronomical origins of the New Year. UBC will also host a number of New Year celebrations on campus.
Duanduan Li
Chinese Language Program, Department of Asian Studies
Tel: 604.822.5186
Email: duanduan.li@ubc.ca
- Significance of Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dragon in Asia and North America
- History of the Chinese zodiac and characteristics of the Year of the Dragon
- Social and cultural impacts of the Year of the Dragon
Diana Lary
Department of History
Email: lary@interchange.ubc.ca
- Significance of Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dragon
- Expansion of celebrations in China
- The world’s largest seasonal migration of millions of workers returning home for celebrations
- The Year of the Dragon: a good year to give birth to boys, a bad year to give birth to girls?
Peter Newbury
Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Tel: 604.836.8998
Email: newbury@phas.ubc.ca
Twitter: @polarisdotca
- Blog post: The Astronomy of Chinese New Year
- The astronomical origins of the date of Chinese or Lunar New Year and its relationship to the cycle of the Earth’s orbit around the sun and the moon’s orbit around the Earth
Events
2012 Chinese New Year Gala
Time/Date: Saturday, January 21, 4 – 8 p.m.
Location: Thea Koerner House, GSS Ballroom, 6371 Crescent Rd.
Map: http://www.maps.ubc.ca/?408
- The Graduate Student Society and the Chinese Graduate Student Associate are hosting a Chinese New Year gala featuring singing, dancing and instrumental performances, a traditional Chinese dinner and more
- Contact: Ling Zhang, President, Chinese Graduate Student Association
Email: president@ubccgsa.org
Chinese New Year Lion Dance
Time/Date: Wednesday, January 25 at noon
Location: UBC Bookstore, 6200 University Boulevard
Map: http://www.maps.ubc.ca/?081
- UBC’s Kung Fu Association will perform the traditional Lion Dance that is accompanied by drum, cymbal and gong. The performance will finish with spitting of lettuce from the lion which means spreading of good luck
- Contact: Jessica Chan, President, UBC Kung Fu Association
Email: ubckungfu@gmail.com
Chinese New Year Party
Time/Date: Friday, January 27, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: Asian Center Auditorium, 1871 West Mall
Map: http://www.maps.ubc.ca/?046
- Hundreds of students learning Chinese at UBC participate in this traditional festival annually, showcasing their mastery of the language in a creative performance. The event is organized by the Chinese Language Program in the Department of Asian Studies at UBC
- Contact: Duanduan Li, director of the Chinese Language Program
Email: duanduan.li@ubc.ca ; Tel: 604.822.5186
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