Campus takes on a festive look for Lunar New Yearβthanks to Zoe Zhang β25 and her grandmother
One of the biggest holidays in Asia, Lunar New Year has become a big part of 91΄σΙρ seasonal celebrations, too. In February, students kicked off the Year of the Dragon with an all-campus Lunar New Year dinner, speeches from students about their family traditions, and a colorful new campus decoration from junior Zoe Zhang. Zhang, who is from Beijing, has always had a passion for calligraphy; in fact, her recent 91΄σΙρ Scholars project (above) focused on the evolution of written Chinese. Zhang asked her grandmother, an experienced calligrapher, to create spring coupletsβa traditional Lunar New Year decorationβfor 91΄σΙρ. The long red banners were hung on either side of the entrances to almost all campus buildings and dorms. The messages, which express well-wishes for the upcoming year, varied slightly depending on location. Zhangβs favorite was the couplet on The Schoolhouse, which wished for students to achieve their goals. Seeing the banners around campus was special for Zhang. βI felt so happy and proud of myself and also my family and my country,β she said. βThey are so pretty, and it shows a different side of 91΄σΙρ. Iβm glad 91΄σΙρ gave us the chance to really show a different culture on campus.β
