by Xinhua writer Yanan Liu
NEW YORK, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Prince Kung's Palace Museum, one of the top-level museums and tourist sites in China, gave a new flavor to the Chinese New Year celebrations in the New York metropolitan area as it concluded its two-week visit to the United States.
Staff from the museum on Sunday hosted five interactive workshops for New Year celebrations organized by China Institute in America, drawing around 500 visitors from New York City and surrounding areas.
The workshops covered a full range of activities from shadow puppet making to herbal sachet, Chinese Opera facial makeup painting, furniture joinery and knotting craftsmanship, allowing participants of all ages to have a deep dive into Chinese traditions with first-hand experience.
Moreover, attendees could immerse themselves in lacquer fans crafting, New Year woodblock printing and paper cutting, taking tailored instant family photos or do special stamps collecting.
The celebrations also featured lion dance, Chinese traditional drum beating and Chinese traditional dance Cai Wei.
"I really like paper cutting, because at home I sometimes do it. My mom also did it when she was younger," Chloe Tosatti, a student from New York City, told Xinhua.
Chloe's father, Valentino, said the Chinese New Year is an important festival in his family as his wife is Chinese.
It is quite unique for people in China to travel a long way to get together with their families, celebrating the New Year and having dumplings, Valentino noted.
He said it has been a long time since his family went to China for the Chinese New Year. "I hope next year we can go to China for the Chinese New Year," he noted.
Ellisa, who only gave her first name, told Xinhua she had fun printing Chinese character "Fu" (fortune) with woodblock.
Beside the celebrations at China Institute in America, Ellisa, a New Yorker, said she goes to the New Year parade in Chinatown every year.
"It's too bad that we don't have a Lantern Festival in New York. That's the only thing that's missing. But it's a lot of fun in New York," Ellisa said, adding that she had seen a lot about the Chinese New Year in movies and Chinese TV programs.
"I like Chinese culture," Ellisa said, noting that she has studied Mandarin on an online platform for a year and a half and made a three-week trip to China last September.
Liu Huailin, deputy director of Prince Kung's Palace Museum, said their visit to New York was very successful, noting that more efforts would be made to share Chinese traditions and craftsmanship with people in other countries. ■
