Chinese Spring Festival in Jackson Receives Boost from Mississippi College

Chinese Spring Festival

Mississippi College is part of the team celebrating China’s culture with a parade, gourmet fair and musical performances in downtown Jackson.

Set for Saturday February 28, the Chinese Spring Festival of 2015 is hosted by Jackson’s Chinese community and the City of Jackson to spotlight the Chinese Lunar New Year.

MC international exchange students Zhi “Deborah” Yu and Jiahui “Dorothy” Yu will be the performers at a bamboo flute recital Saturday evening at Thalia Mara Hall. The two students from Central China Normal University dazzled audiences with a similar performance on the Clinton campus on February 9.

Mississippi College’s Office of Global Education led by director Mei-Chi Piletz is helping promote the festival. A native of Taiwan, Piletz encourages Mississippians to come out and enjoy Saturday’s festivities in the capital city.

Organizers say the event seeks to increase public awareness of China’s cultural diversity and attract domestic and international businesses to the Jackson area.

Major events begin with the Chinese Cultural and Gourmet Fair that opens at 11 a.m. Saturday and wraps up at midnight. The 1 p.m. parade begins near the Jackson Convention Center. Other events include a 6:30 p.m. gala at Thalia Mara Hall and fireworks show at 8:10 p.m.

International and American students from Mississippi College are invited to participate in the parade and other events, says Christina Bach, Office of Global Education international program coordinator.

Leaders of the Mississippi Chinese Association are supporting the festival that embraces a better cross-cultural understanding between the local Chinese and American communities.

“For the past few years, MSCA has successfully organized the Chinese New Year’s Gala that has attracted thousands of people to Jackson from all over Mississippi,” says Ying “Nancy” Liu of Jackson State University’s International Programs Office. Last year, over 700 people turned out for the New Year’s Gala.

Mississippi College is home to more than 400 international students from two-dozen nations. About 100 MC students are natives of China.

For more information, visit msca-info.com or contact Christina Bach at MC’s Office of Global Education at 601-925-7762 or cbach@mc.edu