Chinese night gives insight Performance showcased to create understanding of culture

Lorien MacEnulty Staff Writer lorien.macenulty@drake.edu @lorienmacenulty

The heart of China, if adequately represented by Drake University’s annual Chinese Night, must be explosively colorful. It was the type of evening that could have launched its own eyeshadow palette, featuring a deep and theatrical red entitled “Pride of the Republic” intermingled with a pastel blue called “Ode to flowing water.”

A variety of traditional colors surrounded the approximately 300 guests that attended the event on March 4 in Upper Olmsted.

“I’m not really sure that all American students know a lot about China,” said Haosong Bai, chair of the Chinese Night committee at Drake. “They know about Beijing, they know about Shanghai, but they don’t know what inner China really looks like. It is beautiful. It has mountains and lakes, not like Beijing, China: crowded, every day traffic jam, metropolis-like. From my opinion, (China) is quiet, beautiful and relaxing.”

Bai worked hard to expose this seldom associated view of China to the audience, working alongside about 15 committee members and 10-12 volunteers.

The event planning started in November with committee recruitment and getting sponsorships. After months of storyline assemblage, decisions on authentic dishes, late night scriptwriting sessions and material preparation, the show was ready to be revealed.

“We introduce (attendees) to the Chinese culture, part of it ,for a good night,” said Mark Nguyen, a performer and the emcee. “We follow a fish through a journey through four different provinces.”

The fish, a personified sturgeon with a damaged fin, swam from trouble alongside a comical guide and together the two explored the mystical realms of both rural and urban China. The plot line progressed amidst musical numbers and individual performances that included authentic music, song and dance.

“I’m not really sure that all American student know a lot about China. They know about Beijing, they know about Shanghai, but they don’t know what inner China really looks like. It’s beautiful.”

Haosong Bai Chinese Night chair

“We are showing our audiences what China has to offer; the many delicious dishes, the costume ... and the intro video to lots of different provinces,” Bai said.

Nguyen said that while he himself is not Chinese, he enjoys the company of his fellow Asian community and studying the Chinese culture by watching ancient drama. As such, he is an advocate for multicultural exploration.

“In America, I understand we have a lot of people from different backgrounds,” Nguyen said. “By understanding what their customs are, their daily lives, we have more understanding.”