December 1993
East Wind
Page 5
\ N K ■ N "" ' ' ■■
ASA Takes UNC on a Journey Into Asi
Photos and Story by Cindy Hong
Featuring performers from
three schools in two states,
Journey Into Asia opened
with N,C, State ASA
members who performed the
traditional Chinese Lion
dance.
As escorts led in the guests and servers bustled around the
room, there was an air of excitement, for the journey was about to
begin.
On Nov. 19, the Great Hall was transformed for three hours
into an Asian extravaganza that included foods, decorations and
entertainment representing 10 Asian countries: China, Hong Kong,
India, Japan, Korea, Laos, the Philippines, Pakistan, Thailand and
Vietnam. Over 400 people attended the event.
The festival was spearheaded by the Asian Students Association
(ASA) and funded addition
ally by the Carolina Union
Activities Board and the
Bicentennial Observance
Committee in an effort to raise
awareness of the diversity of
Asian culture on the Univer
sity campus. Principal organ
izers of the event also in
cluded individuals from the
Korean American Students As
sociation, the Vietnamese Stu
dents Association, Sangam
(the South Asian student
group) and the Japan Club.
About 75 volunteers, 50
which served food, help(
with the celebration.
Shirley Liu, a junior i..
temational studies major, and
Billy Fan, psychology major and ASA president, independently
thought of the idea for the festival last semester and collaborated this
semester.
Liu described the event as one which celebrated the Asian
culture in a way that was not controversial.
“The purpose is to raise awareness of the diversity of Asian
culture on campus,” she said. “It takes something of this nature,
something enjoyable, as a good stepping block to introduce other
issues. This is the first grand-scale event we’ve attempted.”
Originally called Asia Night, the name of the festival was
changed to Journey Into Asia in order to include Asians and non-
Asians alike into the celebration.
“[Journey into Asia] is more inclu
sive,” said Liu. “[We changed the name]
to allow anyone to take a journey into
Asia.”
She added, “We [were] aggressively
trying to attract a non-Asian audience.
There is an Asian presence on campus, and
we’d like to share our background with
[non-Asians].” .
Upon stepping into the Great Hall,
the guests encountered bright Chinese lan
terns hung on the side panels of the hall;
two Chinese scrolls; Japanese origami
Having performed in the North Carolina Museum of Art and in
the UNC Internationl Festival in October, Korean Fan dancers
windmill on stage.
made of colorful paper folded into flowers and cranes, placed along
the dinner tables; and the flags of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines and
Korea draped along the walls. Indian, Chinese, Filipino and Korean
music filled the air both before and during the meal.
The journey began with a meal of fried rice and treats from
Korea, India, Thailand, Japan, China, Laos or Vietnam. Local
restaurants donated the dishes.
“With the food, we were trying to get things that non-Asians
wouldn’t get to sample,” said Liu.
Junior business major Doug Butler said that the food was
definitely unique. While his favorite dish was General Tso’s Chicken,
which is a specialty of the Hunan province in China, Butler said,
“The most unique dish was Chop Chae [a vegetarian Korean dish]
because I’ve never seen clear noodles before.”
Freshman Priti Patel said that she thought the different spices
made the food interesting and said that one of the desserts, almond-
flavored gelatin with exotic fruits like "dragon eyes," jackfruit and
lychee, was very good.
After the meal, the presentation began, with a welcome from
Asian nations, which included welcomes and hellos in each of the 10
languages of the countries represented. Students dressed in national
costumes.
The main entertainment was focused around six dance groups,
who performed a variety of Chinese, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese
and Filipino dances.
Each dance told its own
story. One painted a legend. Oth
ers honored a city or incorporated
some primary facet of the cul
tures they represented. The dances
reflected differences between all
of the Asian countries and even
differences within the individual
countries themselves.
One example of such a dif
ference in style within a country
was the Filipino Culture Dance,
which consisted of four parts,
each reflecting Spanish, Hawai
ian, Tahitian and Filipino influ
ences within the Filipino culture.
Sophomore political science
major Stacey Brandenburg said
that the entire night was "abso
lutely phenomenal." In particular, she cited the unique dances.
“The distinctions between the dances represented different
cultures,” she said. “It’s so easy to group all the island and Asian
cultures together, but most people don’t realize that there are so many
distinctions.”
Junior biology major Liz Kim said that watching the dances was
touching for her and gave her a sense of Asian pride because they were
so beautiful. She also said that while the dances were unique to each
other, there were also similarities because they were all Asian dances.
“[You] can see the influences of Asian culture,” she said.
“They’re all connected somehow. They can’t help being influenced
by each other.”
see JOURNEY, page 11
Duke University's
Chinese Folk Dance
Club stands poised
for the next move in
their crackling, fan-
snapping rerulition of
a martial fan dance.