Campus News

Confucius Institute ushers in Year of the Goat

Chinese dancers.

Student members of the Chinese Club of Western New York perform a traditional dance at the 2014 New Year celebration.  

By MICHAEL ANDREI

Published February 12, 2015 This content is archived.

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UB’s Confucius Institute and the Chinese Club of Western New York (CCWNY) will celebrate the Chinese Lunar Year of the Goat on Feb. 21 with its annual free public show of music, dance and Chinese martial arts.

The much anticipated celebration will feature performances by members of CCWNY and language students and artists affiliated with the UB Confucius Institute.

A highlight will be a performance of Chinese folk melodies by four members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra: Shieh-jian Tsai (violin), Antoine Lefebvre (violin), Ningning Jin (viola) and Feng Hew (cello).

The popular event will take place from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in the Mainstage theatre in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

Zoom image: UB Confucius Institute student Peter Worden and Alfred University Confucius Institute master teacher Zhongbei Wu perform “Laughing over the Blue Sea” from The Swordsmen (Xu Ke 1990). UB Confucius Institute student Peter Worden and Alfred University Confucius Institute master teacher Zhongbei Wu perform “Laughing over the Blue Sea” from The Swordsmen (Xu Ke 1990).

UB Confucius Institute student Peter Worden and Alfred University Confucius Institute master teacher Zhongbei Wu perform “Laughing over the Blue Sea” from The Swordsmen (Xu Ke 1990).

“The Chinese New Year celebration is an excellent opportunity for students and others in the UB community to experience Chinese culture and traditions,” says Jiyuan Yu, Confucius Institute director and UB professor of philosophy. “We are pleased to be organizing the program jointly with CCWNY and highlighting the impressive ability of our Chinese language students alongside the outstanding performances of CCWNY members.”

Adds Bo Xu, president of CCWNY: “The Chinese community in Western New York has a wealth of artistic talent. This event offers a great chance to celebrate our culture and teach others in Western New York about it as we observe the most important holiday in the Chinese year.”

In the Chinese zodiac, 2015 is also sometimes referred to as the year of the sheep, as the word “yang” is used for both animals in the Chinese language. 

According to Chinese culture, people born in the year of the goat are generally believed to be gentle, mild-mannered, shy, stable and kind. Although gentle on the surface, they are thought to have strong inner resilience and excellent defensive instincts.

Other notable performances at the celebration include:

  • The humorous dance “Boatman’s Love” (Qian Fu De Ai), performed by 10 past presidents and officers of CCWNY.
  • “Evening Songs on the Fishing Boat” by guzheng master Zhongbei (Daisy) Wu and an ensemble from Alfred University.
  • Popular kuai ban rhythmic storytelling with wooden clappers.
  • The traditional dance “Butterfly Lovers,” which tells a Romeo-and-Juliet-type story set in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420). 
  • A Chinese tai chi performance by students of Gold Summit Martial Arts Institute.
  • A string ensemble of highly accomplished high school students performing the popular songs “Lan Hua Hua” and “When Will the Acacia Bloom.”

The UB Confucius Institute is a collaborative program involving UB’s College of Arts and Sciences; Capital Normal University, a longstanding UB educational partner in Beijing; and Hanban, the executive body of the Chinese Language Council International. The institute serves as an educational resource for Western New York K-12 schools and develops and supports academic research and artistic production at UB.   

For more information about the Confucius Institute and the festival celebration, contact UB Confucius Institute Associate Director Bruce Acker at 716-645-7919 or backer@buffalo.edu, or visit the Confucius Institute’s website.