Zi Wei, Year 8, Gubei Campus

I have always been fascinated by Chinese New Year, and have learned a great deal about the holiday in school at YCIS. It amazes me that on this particular holiday, friends and families eagerly meet up, gather together, and catch up on each other’s lives.

This Chinese New Year, I went to Chinatown in Los Angeles with my family for the first time, which was a very memorable experience. Looking at the bright, luminous lights of the exquisitely crafted lanterns hanging from one building to another, I was amazed. My surrounding was soon enveloped by huge smoke coming from the firecrackers and the candles, fireworks exploded into stars above me in the bespeckled night sky. As I looked up, the moon hung quietly in the distance surrounded by it’s own glow, casting a misty sheen over the ancient-Chinese-style buildings. 

The most exciting part of the whole experience for me was the Dragon Dance. The sound of drums thundered in the background while a golden dragon came to the middle of the stage, and people cheered and celebrated when the dragon gave a huge roar, smoke billowing around it.

The whole experience was deeply imprinted in my mind and I would definitely go back again next Chinese New Year, just as I am excited to continue learning more about Chinese culture and language in school at YCIS.