On February 21st, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, a traditional auspicious day for Chinese people to welcome the God of Wealth, the Pearl S. Buck House in Buck County, a suburb of Philadelphia, hosted its annual Lunar New Year celebration. The celebration, co-organized by the Chinese Community Association of Philadelphia (CBCA) and Pearl S. Buck International (PBI), presented the local community with a festive atmosphere and promoted diverse exchanges during the still-snowy season.

Before the event began, Tona Luna, Chair of the Board of PBI, Zhang Lijun, Chair of CBCA, and Ken Yang, CEO of PASSI, delivered speeches, extending New Year greetings to the guests. In their remarks, they mentioned that the Lunar New Year not only symbolizes bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, and praying for good fortune, but also carries the significance of family reunion and cultural inheritance. Choosing to hold the celebration at Pearl S. Buck’s birthplace was intended to further promote cultural understanding and exchange between China and the United States.

This year’s celebration continues the open-plan layout established over the past three years, encouraging audiences to participate freely and experience the event in depth across different spaces and settings.

2月21日，农历正月初五，正值华人传统“迎财神”的吉日，位于费城郊区巴克斯郡的赛珍珠故居迎来一年一度的新春庆祝活动。由中博华人协会（CBCA）与赛珍珠国际（Pearl S. Buck International，PBI）联合主办的马年新年庆典，在冬雪尚未消融的时节，为当地社区呈现了一场年味浓郁、促进多元交流的新春盛会。

活动开始前，PBI 董事会主席Tona Luna ,CBCA 主席张丽君以及 PASSI 首席执行官 Ken Yang 先后致辞，向来宾送上新春祝福。他们在讲话中提到，农历新年不仅象征着辞旧迎新、祈福纳祥，也承载着家庭团圆与文化传承的意义。选择在赛珍珠故居举办庆祝活动，是希望能够进一步促进中美文化理解与交流。

今年的庆祝活动延续三年来形成的开放式布局，鼓励观众在不同的空间和场合自由参与、深度体验。

Performances

The Welcome Center, located in the main building, serves as the primary activity area, showcasing stage performances, traditional costume displays, shadow puppet animation, and velvet flower craft exhibitions, as well as interactive activities for families and teenagers. The CBCA Youth Website Design Team’s Kahoot New Year trivia quiz, chopstick challenge, and dice game integrated historical and cultural knowledge into fun and engaging activities, attracting many non-Chinese families and deepening their understanding of Chinese New Year customs and traditional culture through interactive experiences.

The activity area in Red Barn focused on combining traditional culture with family-friendly experiences. Activities such as paper cutting, calligraphy, woodblock printing, creative balloon art, tea ceremony demonstrations, and guzheng performances were held concurrently, allowing visitors to experience China’s long and diverse traditional arts and culture up close through “seeing, hearing, and doing.” The colorful face painting was a particular favorite among children, who transformed into dragons, auspicious beasts, or Chinese-style patterns under the skillful hands of volunteers, filling the air with laughter and adding a festive touch to the event. Many teenagers and American families also wrote their Chinese names and made New Year paper cuttings under the guidance of volunteers, turning their cultural experiences into cherished memories to take home.

Welcome Center 主楼作为主要活动区域，集中呈现舞台演出、传统服饰展示、皮影动画及绒花工艺品展览，以及面向家庭和青少年的互动活动项目。CBCA 青少年网站设计组策划的 Kahoot 新年知识问答、筷子挑战和投骰游戏，将历史文化知识融入轻松有趣的活动中，吸引了不少非华裔家庭参与，在互动中加深了对中国年俗与传统文化的理解。

位于 Red Barn 的活动区则更注重传统文化与亲子体验的结合。剪纸、书法、木版印刷、创意气球、茶艺展示和古筝演示等项目同步展开，观众通过“看、听、做”的方式，近距离感受中国悠久多样的传统艺术文化。其中，色彩缤纷的脸部彩绘（face painting）深受小朋友们的喜爱，孩子们在志愿者的巧手下化身小龙、瑞兽或中国风图案，欢笑声不断，为现场增添了浓浓的节日童趣。不少青少年和美国家庭还在志愿者指导下书写中文名字、制作新春剪纸，把文化体验化成可以带走的美好记忆。

Cultural Stations

The stage performance featured 17 acts, with 100 performers from surrounding communities presenting a stunning visual feast showcasing diverse ethnic styles. The performance was divided into three segments, with 10-minute breaks between each segment, allowing the audience to freely switch between the stage performances and cultural experiences according to their interests. This flexible arrangement made the entire celebration feel more like an open and inclusive community cultural festival, enabling the audience to participate and immerse themselves more fully.

舞台演出共有17个节目，来自周边社区的100位演员为观众呈现了一场美轮美奂、各具特色的民族风情的视觉盛宴。表演分为三个单元进行，各单元之间设置10分钟休息时间，方便观众根据兴趣在舞台演出与文化体验活动之间自由切换。这种灵活的安排，使整场庆祝活动更像一场开放、包容的社区文化节，观众能够更充分地参与并融入其中。