Happy Lunar New Year!

As we continue to navigate through this challenging historic time, we recognize the need to find moments of joy and celebration that come with renewing, restoring, and revitalizing our community.

Join us for Lunarfest 2022: Year of the Tiger. Leap into the new year with hope and energy.

Lunarfest 2022 is made possible by following funding sources: the REACH grant sponsored by the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven and the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, The City of New Haven’s Cultural Affairs Department, Yale Office of Diversity & Inclusion, Yale Community for New Haven Fund, CT Humanities, and the New Haven Museum.

Thank you to all who make public programs at Yale-China possible. We wish you and your families a healthy and more auspicious year ahead.

Lunar New Year wall with messages and greetings around the city

Lunarfest Community Mural

Brilliant Boba Exhibit at the Ely Center of Contemporary Art | Jan 13 - Feb 20, 2022
Brilliant Boba is a unique resource created with contributions from local Connecticut Asian-Americans, educators, and artists to help educators center Asian-American voices in their classrooms through art and narrative. The resource gives students and educators new ways to reflect on how we can integrate Asian-American voices, social-emotional learning, and art into learning spaces that facilitate empathy and creative thinking.  This exhibit features three Brilliant Boba artists Kaitlin Tan Fung, Zulynette Morales, and Ying Ye, as well as artwork from local students whose teachers used the Brilliant Boba resources in their classrooms.  Viewers are encouraged to engage with the stories and artwork presented through reflection and creation.  Learn more about the project here.

New Year Postcards by Natalie Wang | Pick up throughout New Haven beginning Tues, Feb 1
Pay-it-forward with your Year of the Tiger wishes on a postcard designed by artist Natalie Wang. Pick up the 2022 Lunarfest postcard and send it to friends and family to wish them a healthy and auspicious New Year or keep one for yourself to enjoy. Available at the New Haven Free Public Libraries and the New Haven Museum while supplies last.

Year of the Tiger Red Envelopes + Animation Kits | Pick up throughout New Haven beginning Tues, Feb 1
Pick up your Year of the Tiger treats including a tiger animation kit designed by the artists and apprentices at the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop. Make a tiger run with a 4-frame animation. Create your own 4-frame animation. Available at the New Haven Free Public Libraries and the New Haven Museum while supplies last.

DIY Rattle Drums Workshop by Michaela Wang
Lunar New Year is a time for celebration filled with the clang of firecrackers and joy of little ones playing. Create your own rattle drum with supplies you can find lying around your house. Suggested supplies: two paper plates, a stick (popsicle stick or chopstick), stapler, hole puncher or scissors, beads, string or twine, glue stick, and optional printouts. Join us for a drum chorus once our rattles are complete.

View instructions at this link with optional printouts available at this link.

Fires in the Mirror Event and Talkback at the Long Wharf Theatre | Fri, Feb 4 ▪︎ 7PM ET
As one of Long Wharf’s 2021-2022 season partners, Yale-China is hosting a night at the theater for the current show Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deavere Smith. The event will be on Friday, February 4 at 7 pm and includes a talkback after the show facilitated by Yale-China. All are welcome. Purchase tickets here.

Financial support for tickets available upon request through arts@yalechina.org.

Movie Night: The Farewell and Talkback | Fri, Feb 4 ▪︎ 6:30-9:30pm ET 💡 livestream
Miss the cinema? Let’s enjoy a film about love, family, and intergenerational communication at home with our loved ones on February 4. Co-hosted by Yale-China and the New Haven Free Public Library, the Year of Tiger Lunarfest Movie Night will screen The Farewell (别告诉她) on Zoom and have a talkback session afterwards. Register here.

If you prefer to join us just for the talkback session starting at 8:45PM, here are a few ways that you may access the movie for free at any time on your own.

1. If you have a New Haven Free Public Library card, you can watch the movie through the NHFPL’s Kanopy service portal. (Don’t have a library card? Apply for a free NHFPL card. It’s easy!)

2. If you are a Yale-affiliate, you can watch the movie either through Yale’s digital library or Yale’s Kanopy service portal.

3. The Farewell (别告诉她) is also freely accessible through Amazon Prime if you are a member.

Aiping Tai Chi Celebrates the Water Tiger
Did you know that each year in the Chinese Zodiac is represented not only by one of 12 animals but also by one of five elements? This is the year of the Water Tiger. In this kid-friendly program, Shifu Shirley Chock, owner of Aiping Tai Chi, will give a visual presentation of the Five Elements theory and teach some fun Tiger Qigong movements to celebrate the Year of the Water Tiger. Hosted by the New Haven Museum. Register here.

春节系列活动之家乡的故事 | 家乡的故事 投稿
Stories from Home by ACSSY + ISPY
For Lunar New Year, the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at Yale (ACSSY), the OISS International Spouses and Partners at Yale (ISPY), and Yale-China are compiling stories of heritage, culture, art, and celebration. Their stories explore themes of joy + comfort, arts + culture, and family + homecoming. These stories embrace the distance and longing that many international families feel during this homecoming time of the year and the steps they take to create new traditions in their New Haven community.

春节是中国人最重要的节日，也是属于团圆、传承和希望的日子。虽然由于新冠疫情的限制，今年许多耶鲁的中国学生学者无法返回家乡与家人团聚、共庆新春，但思念却可以穿越万水千山，使大洋此岸的我们仍感到爱的温暖。耶鲁华人学者学生联合会携雅礼协会向耶鲁华人的亲友就春节主题征稿，将来自家乡的春节故事带来纽黑文，希望能向每一位读者分享国内庆祝春节的盛景和一份份真挚的问候与祝福。愿两地华人新春快乐，在2022壬寅虎年中平安如意，虎虎生风！

-Jianjian Guo, president, ACSSY

Tai Chi and Qigong Demonstrations by Aiping Tai Chi
Aiping Tai Chi celebrates the Lunar New Year with a demonstration of traditional Chinese 养生 (yang sheng) health cultivation activities. Tai Chi has been practiced for hundreds of years and Qigong exercises for thousands. Aiping Tai Chi's instructors and students will demonstrate different routines and invite the audience at home to join in a mini class. Hosted by the New Haven Museum. Register here.

Lunarfest Community Mural | On display at 77 Audubon Street starting Tues, Feb 15
Local artist Kaitlin Tan Fung has designed a Year of the Tiger community mural for Lunarfest 2022. Lunarfest’s partners in the community and schools have individually decorated different pieces of the design which were then reassembled to create a collective community artwork. The collaborative mural will be on display starting Tuesday, February 15 at 77 Audubon Street. It will be printed on postcards available at the New Haven Free Public Libraries, the New Haven Museum, and the Eli Whitney Museum. Special thanks to our lead designer Kaitlin Tan Fung and community partners: Aiping Taichi Center, New Haven Free Public Libraries, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, International Festival of Arts and Ideas, New Haven Museum, Co-op High School, Town Green, Office of International Students and Scholars, Yale Police Department, New Haven Promise, aapiNHV, Long Wharf Theatre, Highville Charter School, Educational Center for the Arts, Elm City Elementary, and Eli Whitney Museum.

Roots of Opera with Wang Hao + Noah Fang
Beijing opera artist Wang Hao and ethnomusicologist Noah Fang introduce one of the role types in Chinese opera, demystifying the intricate gestures and symbols behind Hualian (花脸) in Beijing Opera. Drama and literature scholar Allison Bernard co-moderates this special program. Register here.

Wishing Tree at New Haven Museum | Available at the New Haven Museum, Wed, Feb 16 until Fri, Feb 25
The Lam Tseun Wishing Trees are a big part of Chinese New Year festivities in Hong Kong. Every year, hundreds of people gather to toss their red ribbons up into the wishing trees with hopes that their ribbons will catch and their wishes for good fortune will come true in the New Year. Come make your wishes and admire those left by your neighbors during operating hours at the New Haven Museum.

老人聚会 — 二月十八号｜中午四点｜在线
Senior Get-Together
普通话的聚会。欢迎所有中国的祖父母和65岁以上的人参加。在新冠病毒大流行期间，安全地交往和结交新朋友。本次活动由纽黑文公共图书馆协调。加入我们的微信群聊。
Mandarin language event. All Chinese grandparents and people over 65 years old are welcome to attend. Friendly conversation, entertainment, and company. This event is coordinated by the New Haven Public Library. For more information, scan the QR code to join our WeChat group chat. 

Behind the scenes at Local, Chinese-owned Restaurants
Go behind the scenes at local, Chinese-owned restaurants through a short, student-made, mini-documentary. Learn about the challenges of the pandemic and how to support Chinese restaurant workers. This is a bilingual event that can accommodate both English and Mandarin speakers.

Restaurant Newsletter | release postponed until mid-March
Curated by Yale-China's small business food team, this newsletter will feature images of local Asian-owned restaurants, must-try dishes, and meet-the-owner stories to welcome in the Year of the Tiger.

Healing the Whole Family: a Graphic Novel about AAPI Mental Health
Join us as we read and discuss a new graphic novel created by artist Nealie Ngo based on Grace Chiang’s story about family healing. Healthcare providers Eunice Yuen, Alice Shen, Jamille Rancourt, and Nichole Roxas will lead a discussion about intergenerational trauma and mental health in an AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) family. This panel is hosted by Yale Compassionate Home, Action Together (CHATogether) and Yale-China.