On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, on October 4th, the second China Cultural Renaissance Festival was held at Otisville Veterans Memorial Park in upstate New York, attracting a lively crowd. The event featured a rich array of activities including traditional dances, classical music, performances on traditional Chinese musical instruments, ancient costume exhibitions, traditional martial arts demonstrations, as well as art and food exhibitions, showcasing the profound cultural heritage of China. The event drew a large number of local residents and officials, who came together to celebrate the autumn festival.
One of the highlights of this year’s event was the exhibition of models of Chinese Tang Dynasty architecture and traditional structural craftsmanship, allowing participants to experience up close the intricacy and beauty of Chinese architectural design. Renowned artists Cao Zuimeng and Wang Deshu also displayed their calligraphy and ink paintings, with Wang Deshu personally demonstrating his calligraphy skills and interacting with the audience.
The event also showcased a variety of traditional Chinese delicacies that captured everyone’s attention. From exquisitely crafted mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival, spicy and flavorful Sichuan cold noodles, to fragrant skewers of grilled meat, and traditional Northern dumplings to nourishing herbal soups from the South, the diversity and regional characteristics of Chinese cuisine were fully on display. Local farms also provided fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables on-site, adding a natural and healthy touch to the cultural festival.
Mela Wu, the chairperson of the event organizer, the Hope Mountain Chinese Association, emphasized that the main purpose of the event was to showcase the beauty of Chinese traditional culture to the local community. She expressed, “The beauty of Chinese traditional culture is incomparable to modern things. Many participants, including local officials who visited, were impressed by the cultural richness and energy displayed at the event.”
Paul Rickard, the mayor of New York’s Hope Mountain town, mentioned, “This year marks the 200th anniversary of our town’s founding, and it’s fantastic to have visitors and community residents come together here. It’s truly wonderful!”
Regarding the significance of the event, he emphasized, “Bringing people together is very important. Connecting with each other, sharing traditions, that’s good. Whenever people from different cultural backgrounds come together, it helps them understand each other’s culture. Our community is very diverse, and the more we understand each other, the more we can find our similarities. I think that’s great. Everyone has their own culture, and we should be able to enjoy, share, and appreciate each other’s cultures.”
Sean Burke, running for a council seat in Hope Mountain town, expressed his happiness to see everyone participating and enjoying the event, adding, “For me, being exposed to a culture I’m not very familiar with is also a great learning experience.”
He further stated, “It’s also a good opportunity to understand other cultures, promoting more knowledge and interaction among people. I believe that some traditions and values are being forgotten in modern society.” Burke emphasized, “All traditions should be preserved, whether they are American or Chinese traditions. We should cherish our roots, remember where we come from, and strive to preserve those important values, which is absolutely crucial.”
Brian Carey, the village mayor of Otisville in Orange County, New York, expressed his delight in exploring different foods and mingling with the community at the event. He remarked, “Trying different things, trying food, is one of the reasons I came today. It’s great to see everyone here, it’s a wonderful event!”
Keri Lee Carey, a town council member from Hope Mountain in New York, praised the larger scale of this year’s event, with more stalls and exciting program performances.
Janet Sutherland, a county councilwoman from New York’s Orange County, expressed gratitude to the Hope Mountain Chinese Association for bringing the China Cultural Renaissance Festival to the community. She was pleased with the perfect weather, delicious food, and the cooperation between communities, truly embracing each other’s cultures and sharing what each could offer.
Sutherland recommended the spicy Sichuan cold noodles from a booth she visited, describing them as delicious and highly recommended. She humorously added, “Just walking around and smelling the aromas in the air here could make you gain ten pounds!”
Apart from the food, she also raved about the performances, especially the classical music, which she found very inspiring and soul-touching, regardless of one’s understanding of the music’s meaning.
“It’s been a wonderful day. The children’s games, the amazing performances, the beautiful dance – it was all fantastic. And what always attracts me the most are the costumes; I really love those traditional clothing,” Sutherland shared. “I think those costumes are fantastic, with meticulous craftsmanship and detail.”
Lance Davoren, a trustee of Otisville village, believed that the event’s appeal lies in bringing a different cultural experience to the town. He shared, “All the colorful costumes are very attractive, and everyone is here because it’s something fresh and interesting. The performers are full of joy, the bands are well-prepared, the costumes are exquisite and thoughtful, with many details to appreciate, from art to music to food, everything is well presented.”
“People can attend without having to reach into their pockets. It brings a sense of community. It’s like attending an art exhibition, a concert, a performance, and a food festival all at once – and usually, you’d have to spend a lot of money on that. But here (watching the performances) is completely free, they’re serving the community. It’s absolutely fantastic,” he expressed.
He concluded by saying, “We all enjoy the events they organize, so we will keep coming back.”
As the Chinese saying goes, “Food is the heaven of the people.” Eating is not just a basic necessity but also an embodiment of culture. From the perspective of Chinese traditional culture, diet is related to health and carries deep cultural connotations. Through each meal, each dish, not only nourishing the body, but also continuing the ancestral wisdom of life.
Traditional Chinese cuisine emphasizes ingredient selection, cooking methods, and achieving a balanced combination, with each dish containing the inherited experiences and philosophies from generation to generation.
At the booth of “Medicinal Cooking Lady,” Dr. Gong Meiqing used a large clay pot to make beef bone and chicken soups that simmered for 10-12 hours. Choosing traditional clay pots for soup-making involves a lot of knowledge. Dr. Gong explained that this method incorporates the elements of “metal, wood, water, fire, earth,” reflected in: tin foil (metal), charcoal (wood), soup (water), burning fire (fire), and clay pot (earth).
Ms. Zhong, of Vietnamese descent, praised the chicken soup from the “Medicinal Cooking Lady” booth, describing it as having a clear and energy-filled taste, despite containing many ingredients.
Event organizer, Mela Wu, also recommended trying dumplings. She explained, “Dumplings are originally shaped like ears, and eating dumplings is actually good for the body. There is a lot of meaning behind them as well.”
Dumplings were originally named “tender ears.” Legend has it that during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the renowned physician Zhang Zhongjing, to treat poor people suffering from frostbite during a harsh winter, enclosed lamb, chili, and cold-dispelling herbs in dough, cooked them into ear-shaped food, and distributed them to the villagers, not only healing frostbite but also gaining widespread popularity. These “tender ears” gradually evolved into today’s dumplings. With thin skin, tender fillings, and delicious taste, dumplings are not only a favorite dish of Chinese people in daily life but also a symbol of reunion and auspicious festival cuisine, especially indispensable during the Lunar New Year.
Trustee Lance Davoren of Otisville village expressed his great love for dumplings, jokingly saying, “I’ve eaten a lot today, my wife might be mad at me when I get home!”
At the event today, a traditional Chinese architectural model with Tang Dynasty style, drew special attention.
Mr. Yan demonstrated on-site how this architecture can be fully disassembled, reassembled, and explained the “bracketing” of Tang Dynasty architecture. He introduced, “What I’m showcasing today is a traditional Chinese architecture in Tang Dynasty style, which is characterized by not using a single iron nail, relying entirely on wooden components being interlocked together.”
He further explained, “Buildings like this, even when a pillar is removed during maintenance, the entire structure won’t collapse. Because it’s a unified and connected structure, very sturdy.”
Mr. Yan’s father was a carpenter. He shared, “In early years, during an earthquake, my mom was scared and wanted to run out, but my dad said, ‘Don’t worry, our house won’t collapse, I built it myself.’ That’s when I realized the remarkable aspect of these traditional buildings.”
When asked about the characteristics of Tang Dynasty architecture, Mr. Yan expressed, “Tang Dynasty architecture is grand, symmetrical, and majestic.” He added, “Some architecture in Japan still preserves this design.”
“This is the best thing in the world, but few people know about it,” Mr. Yan encouraged everyone to learn more about China’s ancient architectural culture and appreciate the sophistication and wisdom of ancient Chinese architectural craftsmanship.
The event also exhibited calligraphy and ink works of renowned artists Cao Zuimeng and Wang Deshu.
Cao Zuimeng, a former professor at the China Academy of Fine Arts and a renowned artist, art theorist, and antique collector, has received the Silver Award of the 2002 World Peace Award from the World Art Center in the United States, and has won numerous awards at exhibitions held in Japan, South Korea, and other places.
Wang Deshu, born into a family of painters and calligraphers, is a national first-class painter and calligrapher, carrying on the legacy of Qi Baishi. He served as a guest professor at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts and is hailed as one of the most representative calligraphy artists of contemporary times.
Wang Deshu personally demonstrated his calligraphy and painting skills on-site and interacted with the audience. He expressed, “I’m very happy to be able to interact with the people here today, hoping to be of help to them.”
Lance Davoren praised the calligraphy and painting exhibition of the day, saying, “I think this calligraphy and painting exhibition is excellent. Although I’m not very knowledgeable about art, I can see that a lot of thought and time was put into creating these works… they are all very high-quality.”
“This event is very culturally enlightening,” real estate developer Devin Corrigan remarked. “I think it’s a very wonderful event.”
Corrigan, engaged in real estate development in Los Angeles and New York, brought a Chinese friend to the event. He stated, “This event is very important because we live in a time of increasing cultural integration. Understanding different cultures is crucial for communication, building friendships, and conducting business. Communication would be very difficult without an understanding of cultures. Although cultures are different, we are all the same people.”
He also shared his admiration for Asian cultures, saying, “I have always been inspired by Asian cultures, arts, and families. Their sense of community is very important to me. I believe the Western world can learn a lot from Chinese culture.”
Many people attending the event are often drawn by the festive atmosphere, traditional Chinese cuisine, music, and art, but Albus, a visitor on-site, felt a spiritual joy.
Speaking about what attracts people to the event, Albus said, “It’s mainly the people here. That feeling is really fantastic. It feels expansive, bright, like there is a group of people here shining.”
He further described how their internal energy or emotions radiated like light. “This place is really wonderful, it feels like being guarded by something beyond ordinary…”