By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
What do Johann Sebastian Bach, Walt Disney, Richard Nixon, Napoleon Bonaparte and Vincent Van Gogh have in common?
Simple. If they had been born in China, they would have been born in the Year of the Ox. So said Rider University President Mordechai Rozanski, as he welcomed visitors to Rider’s Chinese New Year celebration Sunday afternoon.
“The year of the ox is the second year in the 12-year cycle of animal signs. People who were born in the year of the ox are supremely self-assured and they are leaders. They are quiet, patient and they measure their words,” said Dr. Rozanski, who holds doctorate in Chinese history and Chinese-American relations from the University of Pennsylvania.
The event, which was organized by the Asian Students at Rider group and exchange students from Sanda University, was held in the Bart Luedeke Student Center. It featured a variety of Chinese foods as well as booths where visitors could try their hand at making a paper lamp or cutting paper into special shapes.
At one table, visitors tried to pick up M&M candies from a cup, using chopsticks. An another booth, Chinese students wrote visitors’ names on a piece of paper in Chinese characters.
Chinese students also demonstrated Chinese water painting to the visitors. Cong Cheng, an exchange student from Sanda University, explained Chinese painting does not follow the principles of realistic portrayals, but rather allows the artist to express subjective feelings. It incorporates elements of calligraphy and poetry, she said.
Over at the lamp-making booth, guests tried their hand at stapling together folded bits of paper to create the lamp. The red lanterns, which are posted outside the door, are used to scare away evil spirits, said Changyun Liu, who teaches at the YingHua Day School in Lawrence.
Visitors also were treated to performances by Rider students, as well as by youngsters who attend the YingHua Day School. The school enrolls students from pre-school through grade three.
The YingHua Day School students performed a choreographed dance. One youngster appeared to have a sudden case of stage fright, covering his eyes with his hands while his classmates performed on the stage.
After a quick costume change, the students offered a “Welcome the New Year” dance as their teacher coached them through the moves from her vantage point on the floor. The children took part in additional skits.
Some Rider students gave musical performances — including Westminster Choir College student Edward James Whittle, who has been studying Chinese but who played African drums — and others demonstrated martial arts. In between musical performances, Rider students taught the audience bits of Chinese.
Westminster Choir College graduate students Meagan Callahan and Hope Osborn said they traveled to the Lawrence Township campus to see their friend, Mr. Whittle.
They were also quite clear about what they liked most at the event.
“All the food — that was the most interesting,” Meagan said.

