China

Population: 1.4 billion

Land area: 3,600,927 sq mi

Capital: Beijing

Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (official; Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese)

 

Xiben Naadam

Allison Chang, a 9th grader from Dougherty Valley High School, performs a Mongolian folk song called “Xiben Naadam”. This song depicts a joyful Mongolian girl riding a horse to the Naadam Festival over the beautiful scenery of Mongolian Grasslands and her hope for a better life.

WeDance

WeDance presents three traditional folk dances.

1. Waist drum dance: "A big happy day"
This waist drum dance expresses the happiness of Chinese people participating in a big happy event such as a wedding in their community. In China the waist drum dances tell the happy stories of living.

2. Mongolian Dance: "Mongolian horizon"
If the Mongolian dance "Mongolian People" expresses the spirit of the Mongolians' diligence and braveness, this Mongolian dance "Mongolian horizon" shows the profound love stories. The love stories are so touching and tenacious just like the yearly migration of the wild geese in the sky from generation to generation. 

3. Mongolian Dance: "Mongolian People"
This Mongolian dance of a Chinese minority shows the pride of the Mongolian people who live in the beautiful and magnificent inner Mongolian plateau. They love their daily living activities and their homeland. They are also proud of their spirit of diligence and braveness.

 

Full Moon Flowers

Enjoy a Chinese cultural dance named "Full Moon Flowers" to celebrate the moon cake festival.
Dancers: Isla Yates, Kathy He, Cathy Liu, Sarah Wang, Isabelle Hoekstra

Guzheng Performance

Eighth grader, Nathan Ng , from Stone Valley Middle School shares his gift of playing the guzheng, a traditional Chinese string instrument belonging to the zither family. The guzheng is the parent instrument of the Japanese koto, the Korean gayageum, and the Vietnamese đàn tranh.

 

The Beauty of Chinese Opera

Presented by Bay Valley Chinese School
The Chinese Opera (Peking Opera), exotic it might sound, is a classic Chinese musical performance and an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Through the seamless integration of singing, rhythmic speaking, dancing, acting, acrobatics, and miming, this stage art brings to life stories based on history, legend and literary works. Although the stage set is simple with minimal props and imaginary landscapes, costumes and makeups that are color- and pattern-coded are elaborate and flamboyant, indicating the personality, disposition, social status and moral qualities of performers. Steeped in symbolism, Beijing opera is full of suggestions and implications and emphasis is placed on the beauty of art form and movements and not on reality.