Schwab Auditorium is expected to be filled at 7 tonight for the Chinese Students and Scholars Association ’s Mid-Autumn Festival Gala .
A two-part event, the festivities began with a Chinese culture fair at the HUB-Robeson Center on Monday. The fair included costumes imported from China, posters explaining different aspects of the culture such as the art of Chinese tea, and more.
Both events are to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival. This is a traditional holiday that brings families together on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. This date is determined by the Chinese calendar .
While all students may not be able to return home for the holiday, the gala provides a chance for students to spend it with their Penn State family and friends, CSSA President Fengchun Yang said.
The theme for tonight’s gala is modern vs. traditional. Multiple acts will take the stage, including a New York Peking Opera company, fashion show and performance by singer Jason Chen , Yang (junior-agricultural science) said.
Chen is a popular music artist with songs translated into English and Chinese. His music video for the song “Best Friend” has received more than 5.7 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded in Nov. 2011 .
For some students, Chen’s arrival on campus and performance is enough to draw them to event.
Student Shirley Weng (junior-supply chain) said she was only interested in coming to the event because of Chen.
While tickets for the gala were available at the HUB-Robeson Center, Bryce Jordan Center, Eisenhower Auditorium and the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center since Sept. 20, they were sold out by Monday afternoon on Sept. 24.
CSSA officer Hexuan Zhang said there was miscommunication with the ticket sellers and the association was unaware that they had to specifically say that the free tickets were for sale to Penn State Students only. A number of tickets originally saved for the group’s officers were handed out to students Monday afternoon during the fair.
Zhang (junior-economics) said the purpose of the festival was that “[CSSA is] trying to prove our Chinese culture to Penn State.”
Zhang also said that the gala allowed students to spend time with friends during the festival and holiday.
