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Celebrating Chinese culture
The fifth annual event includes gala night, cooking competition and more

by Emily Atwood

Pleasanton will be the center for Chinese cultural celebration in the Tri-Valley. Five years strong, the event is from noon to 10 p.m. Feb. 17 at Amador Theater and Amador Valley High School and is said to be one of the largest gatherings in the Tri-Valley.

The Chinese American Cooperation Council (CACC) started the Chinese Culture Day in 2002, hoping to promote a cultural understanding between the Tri-Valley Chinese community and the surrounding areas. This year, they expect anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 people to attend.

"This is one of the biggest events in the Tri-Valley," said Amy Liu. "It celebrates the Chinese New Year and the diverse cultural tradition."

The first part of the event is a potluck and Chinese cooking competition. Families are invited to bring dishes from 10 regions, which are vastly different.

The council also organizes a Chinese school that meets Sunday mornings at Amador. Currently, about 1,000 students are enrolled in about 50 classes. Students will represent the school at the celebration event. Around 2:30 p.m. they will showcase all they've learned with performances of dancing, singing, instruments, tai chi and martial arts. There will also be games for children and booths from community organizations.

The highlight of the event is the gala night. Several famous performers from all over the Bay Area will put on a show. Mayors from the four Tri-Valley cities typically attend the festivities. The gala night starts at 7 p.m.

To learn more about the council, the school and the Chinese Culture Day, visit www.caccusa.org.

--Emily Atwood

Posted by YT Hsia, a resident of the Mohr Park neighborhood, on Jun 6, 2008 at 1:01 pm

I am glad to see the Chinese Community is continue to gel as a group. I am also glad to see that the Chinese culture including traditional Chinese written characters are continuing to be promoted by Pleasanton Community Chinese School which teaches not only Cantonese but also Chinese Mandarin in both traditional Chinese Phonics and Hanyu Pinyin techniques. These are not being offerred by CACC Chinese School. Chinese history is full of culture and with this teaching, Chinese history and culture can be preserved throughout the years. Students at PCCS are from various nationality including United States, South Korea, Indonesia, Baghladesh and Philippine. One need not to know Chinese to enrolled at Pleasanton Community Chinese School.

This is the only way we can promote Chinese language and culture.

Posted by Testing name, a resident of the Apperson Ridge neighborhood, on Jun 20, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Testing name is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

Too cool.