University Advancement

Public Relations and Strategic Communications

MEDIA RELEASE

CSUN Celebrates Chinese New Year with Banquet

(NORTHRIDGE, Feb. 5, 2008) — The Chinese New Year is a celebration of family and thanksgiving that anticipates a future filled with good fortune. Cal State Northridge’s China Institute will kick off the new year with its annual "Chinese New Year’s Banquet" on Saturday, March 8.

The banquet will bring together members and faculty of the China Institute, along with family, friends and community, for a review of the past year’s hard work. It is scheduled to take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m., in the University Student Union Grand Salon located on the east side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge.

"During the banquet, we review our work of the past year and congratulate faculty, students and community members who have made significant contributions to U.S.-China exchange programs," said Justine Zhixin Su, director of the China Institute.

The banquet also will look to the future of 2008, the Year of the Rat, as China’s social and economic importance increases with the upcoming Olympic Games, noted Su.

"All eyes are turning to China, not just for the Olympics, but also for the fact that China is increasingly becoming the educational and economic partner for many countries, especially for the U.S.," Su said.

A variety of activities will take place during the celebration, including the announcement of scholarship and faculty grant winners as well as a performance from the Chinese Chorale. The institute has also hired a professional Chinese instrumentalist who will perform traditional Chinese music on a two-stringed violin known as the Er-Hu.

Tax-deductible tickets begin at $55 and include a membership to the China Institute as well as two seats to the banquet.

Those planning on attending must RSVP to Su at zsu@csun.edu before Saturday, Feb. 23. For information regarding The China Institute, visit its Web site, www.csunchinainstitute.org, or call (818) 677-2138.

Cal State Northridge established The China Institute in 1982. The institute aims to promote better understanding of the Chinese culture and to strengthen friendship between the American and the Chinese people. In more than 20 years it has played host to hundreds of Chinese scholars and has been influential in arranging dozens of education and cultural exchange programs between China and the United States.