UTAR welcomes the Year of the Ox with online carnival

The virtual carnival not only celebrated the CNY with all UTAR students and staff but also  the public and students from other universities, both locally and internationally

Over 300 people gathered online for the “International Celebration of Virtual Chinese New Year Carnival 2021” to welcome the Year of the Ox. 

The virtual carnival, which was held on 7 February 2021, connected people from different locations to celebrate the Chinese New Year (CNY) in a nontraditional manner. It offered a line-up of performances to all races and groups for a merrier and safer CNY.

A lion dance performance by UTAR students to usher in the Lunar New Year

An astonishing Wushu performance presented by UTAR students for the carnival

The event kicked off with a vivid and entertaining traditional lion dance, followed by Wushu performances by UTAR students. It also featured entertainments and activities such as Chinese New Year arts and craft workshop, dance performance, Chinese Orchestra performance, viola performance, baritone solo, and diabolo performance. Besides the performances, short clips on “Simple Wound Cleaning” and “How to take a balanced nutrition CNY Food” were also presented by UTAR First Aid Society and Chinese Medicine Society respectively for the event.

Participants were taught to make CNY craft at the online workshop

Chinese folk dances by UTAR Dance club, showing participants the enriched Chinese culture

The participants were also given a fantastic musical experience by the UTAR Chinese Orchestra

Impressive diabolo performance by UTAR students

Sun Hao Wen from RenMin University of China performing violin

Jiang, Zi Chen from RenMin University of China (Baritone Solo) performing a song titled “Non Piu Andrai (Non-pedrei)”

CNY song performance by UTAR Music Club brought an authentic taste of Chinese New Year to the carnival

Speaking at the virtual carnival, UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat said, “We wish to bring and share the joy, warmth and the true meaning of the festival to everyone. Thus, the physical celebration is gorgeously transformed into a virtual one this year, where special sale and various online competitions and contests are conducted, where the proceeds go to the UTAR Hospital fund. We are encouraged by the number of participation and support that we have received from everyone.”

He continued, “With this opportunity, I would like to congratulate the organising committee for the immense effort to ensure the success of this carnival. Simultaneously, I would like to convey a thousand thanks to UTARians and members of the public for the continuous support. We greatly appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm and will always welcome you in our future events.”

Prof Ewe thanking the organising committee for their effort and all the support given

 

UTAR Department of Student Affairs of Sungai Long Campus Head Loh Nyuk Leung (top), staff and students giving CNY messages and wishes through a short video

Furthermore, this year’s celebration, which was different from the typical vibrant and in-person festivity, offered a chance for the participants to learn about CNY traditions and knowledge through an online quiz. Participants who registered and took part in the quiz had the chance to win attractive prizes. 

Another highlight of the carnival was the talk titled “The Four Pillars of Destiny (Ba Zi) and Feng Shui” presented by Zhang, Xi Ping from North-West University (西北大学), China. 

Zhang explaining Bazi, a method to analyse destiny in Chinese metaphysics, to the participants

Zhang sharing a general trajectory of the Chinese Zodiac for what this year will be like

Prior to the event, a series of competitions were organised to promote the Chinese tradition and the participants won various prizes set for the respective competition. The competitions were comprised of Photography Contest, Angpao Cover Design Competition, Calligraphy Competition and CNY Greetings Quote Competition. The winners of the competitions, including the winners for CNY quiz, were announced during the virtual carnival.

The winners for Photography Contest

The winners for Angpao Cover Design Competition

The winners for Calligraphy Competition

The winners for CNY Greetings Quote Competition

The winners for online CNY quiz

“International Celebration of Virtual Chinese New Year Carnival 2021” was a concerted effort of UTAR Department of Student Affairs of Sungai Long Campus, Division of Community and International Networking, Department of International Student Services, Department of Soft Skills Competency and Students’ Clubs and Societies.

To view the full video of the carnival, click here.