The following report was submitted to the News by the Huaxia Chinese School at Plainsboro.
The Spring Festival Spectacular of the Huaxia Chinese School at Plainsboro returned to celebrate the first day of the Lunar New Year in person on Jan. 22. After a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic, the dedication and hard work of teachers and students made for a festive celebration.
The event began with traditional games, including paper cutting, Chinese calligraphy, lantern making, riddles, costume design, chopsticks challenges and a Chinese culture corner. These games were prepared by senior students of the HXPCS and provided a fun and interactive way for parents and students to come together and embrace their cultural heritage.
The celebration continued with a Dragon Dance performance, followed by musical ensembles “Golden Snake Dance” and “Joyous”, which set the mood for the Lunar New Year.
The eight MCs of the Spectacular did an excellent job introducing each program and keeping the show flowing smoothly. The school’s principal, Ying Zhang, welcomed everyone and thanked the teachers and students for their support during the pandemic.
School Board Chair Dr. Meimei Gao expressed her gratitude to the sponsors and welcomed the guests in attendance.
There were numerous guests at the 2023 Spring Festival Spectacular, including: State Senator Linda Greenstein; State Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson; State assemblymen Daniel Benson, Wayne P. DeAngelo and Anthony Verrelli; Mercer County Commissioner Kristin Mclaughlin; Senior Aide to the Governor Rajpal S. Bath; Mercer County Community College President Deborah Preston; Plainsboro Township Mayor Peter Cantu; Deputy Mayor Ed Yates; West Windsor Township Mayor Hemant Marathe; West Windsor Township Council President Andrea Mandel; Vice President Michael Stevens; Councilwoman Linda Geevers; West Windsor-Plainsboro School District Superintendent David Aderhold; Board of Education President Rachel Juliana; Vice President Graelynn McKeown; Board members Elizabeth George-Cheniara, Louisa Ho, Dana Krug and Shwetha Shetty; the Vice President of the Central New Jersey Chinese-American Association Cujin Yu; the Co-Chair of United Chinese Americans in New Jersey Yingchao Zhang; HuaXia Chinese School President Liang Zhang; HuaXia Chinese School Board Chair Yingkan Bo; and the owner of Windsor Athletic Club Zhenzhong Li.
Representatives from the towns in the neighborhood and local schools were also in attendance.
Greenstein and Aderhold spoke on behalf of the guests, expressing their honor to be part of the celebration and wishing everyone a Happy New Year.
Liang Zhang, praised the HXPCS for their leadership in various competitions and expressed high expectations for the upcoming recitation competition.
At the end of introductions, all the guests said “Happy New Year” in Chinese in unison, which brought the show to a new level of excitement and received a long applause from the audience.
The HXPCS Spring Festival Spectacular included 19 performances split into two halves, showcasing the cultural heritage of China.
This annual event, which began in 2006, is an important celebration for the teachers, parents, children, and community. After a prolonged hiatus due to the pandemic, the 2023 Spring Festival Spectacular was highly anticipated and a success.
Through love and dedication for their heritage, the HXPCS teachers and students were able to pass on traditional Chinese culture to their adopted land. The history behind the Spring Festival and the beauty of Chinese culture were appreciated and celebrated with gratitude. Looking forward to a prosperous 2023!