Chinese New Year Spring Festival Program 1998

Chinese New Year Walks
January 17 - February 14, Saturdays and Sundays by reservations only

      For a fascinating and intimate look at how the Chinese celebrate New Year, the Chinese Culture Center offers docent conducted walks through Chinatown. Having just ushered in 1998, it is time to welcome the start of the Year of the Tiger. This is the biggest event in Chinatown’s calendar and everyone will be celebrating throughout the first fortnight of the lunar year, ending with the parade on February 14. The walk will take you through the bustling streets of Chinatown while our docent explains the different customs, religious observances, and folk beliefs associated with Chinese New Year. You will see the different kinds of foods and delicacies prepared for this celebration, firecrackers exploding to drive away the evil spirits, and people greeting each other with the phrase Gong Hay Fat Choy! To take a walk you must reserve ahead of time by calling (415) 986-1822. Fees are $20 per adult and $8 for children under12.

In Celebration of the Year of the Tiger:
Symbolism and Motifs in Chinese Folk Art
January 17 - March 29, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

      Chinese folk art is rich in symbolism and hidden meanings. It reflects the long history of popular customs and traditions in Chinese culture. Deeply rooted in agriculture, people’s daily life and rituals are inevitably connected with nature, the surrounding landscape, and captivating tales told from one generation to another about the origin of the world, of mankind, and mythological beings that once apparently roamed the earth. The handicrafts and objects for everyday use, created by the common folks, are thus a combination of practicality and local customs, superstitions and beliefs. Chinese folk art can be broadly divided into costumes and embroidery, papercuts, New Year woodcut prints, toys and playthings, wood carvings, pottery, paper-mache and dough figurines, masks, batik and fabric dyeing, weaving, architectural ornaments, shadow puppets, lacquer, and jewelry. The Chinese Culture Center will showcase many of these objects in the exhibition. Free admission.

In Search of Roots - An Exhibition of Family Genealogy
January 24 - March 15, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

      In Search of Roots is an annual genealogy research program in which the participants (young Chinese Americans, ages 16 to 25) develop their individual family histories back to at least the first generation who left China through oral interviews, examination of family records, and archival and document research. For two weeks in July, the participants visited their ancestral villages in Guangdong Province, China. The exhibition features family genealogy trees, immigration records, documents and old photographs compiled by the interns of the program. Free admission.

Spring Festival
February 14 & 15. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

      Come celebratethe Year of the Tiger at the Spring Festival organized by the Chinese Culture Center on February 14 & 15. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. A giant Chinese dragon greets the public at the Festival. The two-day celebration includes martial arts demonstrations, New Year food sampling, double lion dance, Chinese cultural performances, art exhibitions, folk songs and dances, and many other arts and crafts demonstrations. The Spring Festival is co-sponsored by Chinatown Community Arts Program of the San Francisco Art Commission and funded by Grants for the Arts of the San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund. Free admission.