University hosts Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

The Confucius Institute at Valparaiso University (CIVU), Chinese Student and Scholar Association (VUCSSA), and the Chinese and Japanese Studies Program (CJS) will sponsor the annual Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival on Sept. 30 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the ballrooms of Harre Union.

More than 50 students from different majors, schools and age groups will sing, dance, play instruments and perform skits to celebrate this traditional Chinese holiday. Moon cakes and other Chinese-style snacks will be served at the celebration.

Started in fall 2006, the annual celebration of Mid-Autumn Moon Festival has become a popular event and an integral part of the cross-cultural experience available at Valparaiso University. For students from China, the celebration gives them a platform to demonstrate the rich cultural heritage of China; for U.S. students, the event offers an opportunity for them to put what they have learned about Chinese culture and language to work.

Nearly 100 area high school students, currently studying Chinese, from Washington Township, Concord, John Glenn, and New Prairie high schools, and Bishop Noll Institute, will attend the event.

Tickets are required to attend. The cost is $5 for the students, staff, faculty and the public. Tickets are available at the Welcome Desk in the Harre Union.

For more information about the event, please contact Professor Zhimin Lin at zhimin.lin@valpo.edu or 219.464.5749.