Gala show brings joy, harmony of Chinese New Year to Istanbul campus

The hall on Ucaksavar Campus of Bogazici University was immersed in a festive mood Sunday evening, as some 400 Turks and Chinese gathered to see a gala performance amid an atmosphere of joy and harmony to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Despite heavy, chilly rains outside, the audience was fascinated by dances, songs, violin play, martial arts, B-Box and a cheongsam show inside the hall.

Performed by the hosts, the Chinese song "Happy Chinese New Year" kicked off the gala show.

This is the first time that the Turkish and Chinese students organized a gala show together to mark the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, which is the most important traditional festival for the Chinese people featuring family reunions, feasts and performances.

All the performances drew applause, including the martial art performances, in which five Turkish performers showed their skills with the sword, the broadsword and fists.

"The Moon Represents My Heart," a classic Chinese song, resonated among the audience, prompting the spectators to interact with the singer by waving their mobile phones with flashlights on.

Turkish students even played a part of "The Dream of Red Mansions," a Chinese classic in literature.

Yusuf Turan, a Bogazici University student, was enchanted with the play. He said he wanted to read the book immediately after seeing the play, noting that he knew the novel and its author are very famous in China.

"Tonight I enjoyed the show a lot," he added. "For me, the best part is the martial art performance and the drama."

Canan Nur Karatas, a student from Istanbul University, agreed. "The best part of the show tonight is the drama and the Uyghur dance show," adding that the drama was very interesting.

"We have the chance to see many examples of the traditional Chinese culture," she continued, "I find Chinese culture, as presented during these performances, very rich and entertaining."

Selda Akpinar, another Bogazici University student, who has been learning Chinese for four years, thought that these kinds of events presented a very important opportunity for the Turkish people to know more about China.

"Chinese celebrations reflect their culture very well," she added.

"I realize that although it seems the two countries are very far away from each other, we have much in common," said Sevval Serdaroglu, a student from Bogazici University. "Chinese people, like Turkish people, are very generous and hospitable. We can see these similarities and know more about them through these kinds of events."