The elegant dance of the Chinese dragon, a symbol of royalty and future prosperity, helped to usher in the Chinese Lunar New Year last night in the HUB-Robeson Center.

About 300 people attended the event, hosted by the Taiwanese Student Association (TSA).

The night began with a dinner of all kinds of different Chinese food provided by local Chinese restaurants.

The menu included such things as Peking duck, stir-fried mixed vegetables, fried squid and sweet rice cake tempura.

Following the dinner and a series of slides and videos showcasing Taiwan's buildings, landscape and culture, TSA adviser John Yen welcomed the audience.

"We welcome you to join us on this very important day. I wish you a most wonderful year," Yen said, adding that the new year is the Year of the Dog.

Jie Chen (senior-accounting) said she came to support her friends, who were performing in the celebration.

Chen said that since she couldn't be at home to celebrate the new year with her family, she came to celebrate with others.

Lewis Jillings, associate vice provost of international programs, also spoke to the audience at the event.

"For one-quarter of the population of the world, this is an enormous celebration," Jillings said.

He also stressed the importance of having international students at Penn State.

"It is important for the education of students to have international students with us," Jillings said. "It is critical to know, understand and give thoughts to people in other countries."

Other events of the evening included a raffle, a martial arts performance, a diabolo, or Chinese yo-yo, competition and Taiwanese folk music.

Chris Sterbank (sophomore-communication) and Matt Davidson (sophomore-film and political science), who do not identify themselves as Asian, said they were interested in the event and the food.

"We wanted to become more culturally diverse," Davidson said.

Jillings ended his speech by asking the audience to become more aware of the international scene.

"We need to pay attention to changes in the world and the dynamics of other countries," he said.