East Meets West Parent Education Club (EMWPEC) held its annual Chinese New Year celebration on Sunday afternoon, February 11, at the San Marino Community Church. Over 100 Chinese and American families attended this community celebration party, which began with Lion Dance and other Chinese cultural demonstrations in the church courtyard. EMWPEC catered an authentic “New Year” lunch for the guests in the Fellowship Hall and then entertained the audience with bi-lingual singing performances by six well-known vocalists, including Dai Qing (戴秦)
Dr. Jeff Chen (陳傑夫), Richard Seymour, Sue Sun, Angela Sheng （盛壹莉）and Ming-An Fasquelle（明安) . Congresswoman Judy Chu was the distinguished government official who presented the club with a Congressional Recognition certificate. Other city officials included San Marino Mayor Steven Talt, Vice Mayor Steven Huang, Arcadia Mayor Pro Tem Sho Tay, president of Arcadia Chinese Association, Aaron Rose, as well as council member from South Pasadena Bob Joe. During the program, Mrs. Ivy Sun (孫陳小鳴), the Congressional Woman of the Year in 2017 and EMWPEC’s educational advisor, presented the legendary story of “Year.” Young children were invited to the stage to answer questions and receive “red envelopes” which is a new year tradition for Chinese. EMWPEC President, Annie Brassard, encouraged the audience to support cultural education for children. She also shared her thought that the talented musical performers at the event are the best role models and an inspiration for all families to look up to. She invited new immigrant families to join EMWPEC and start sharing the excellent resources and opportunities for learning cultures to build a strong community.
