Huntington's 'Feeling Chinese' as it rings in Chinese new year

More than 16,000 visitors over the course of a single weekend is a huge number for any cultural institution, many of which have seen their attendance dwindled by competition from cinemas, sporting events and online activities.

In the Chinese Zodiac calendar, each year is represented by an animal and 2018 is the Year of the Dog.

The capacity crowds were notable in that, though many had anticipated a higher attendance by Chinese or Asian visitors familiar with Chinese New Year, instead the crowds have been split nearly 50/50 with Asians and non-Asians, as many Americans and visiting tourists came out to see something new.

And new it was: Aside from the always entertaining and colorful lion dancers who pranced their way across the sunlit lawn to cries of delight from scores of watching kids, there was also a traditional masked and elaborately costumed "mask changer" who magically changed his face six times at blinding speed with a sleight of hand Houdini, America's greatest magician, would have envied, plus a talented juggler who juggled hats, parasols, apples through the air and ended by pirouetting a fragile China teapot on the edge of a chopstick clamped between his teeth.

"How does he do that," gasped a mesmerized 8 year-old American boy, "Benji", from Van Nuys, while his 6 year-old, towheaded sister giggled, "I like the lions best."

The festivities also included well-received musical performances on a Chinese dizi flute and a zither type stringed instrument, called a guzheng, as well as a large, gold medal Tai Chi performance troupe that had the crowd enthralled.

Gladys Markham of Santa Monica said, "I've never seen Tai Chi set to music and I find it fascinating. I can see why it is so beloved."

Some performers were homegrown Californians while others were arranged through the Chinese Consulate with whom the Huntington maintains a cordial and productive relationship.

Philip Bloom, the new curator of the Chinese Garden at the Huntington, told Xinhua, "Americans can learn a lot from Chinese culture. We work closely with the Chinese Consulate General of Los Angeles to bring a variety of cultural programs to the Huntington."

Visitors also sat down to dip brush in ink to try ancient-style Chinese calligraphy which has a history of thousands of years.

Louise Merrit visiting from Upstate New York said, "I thought my son would like to try the calligraphy, since he enjoyed painting the Chinese masks so much. We hoped to learn more about Chinese culture. There's not much chance to do that where we live."

Curator Bloom told Xinhua, "Calligraphy is a kind of living history - the discursive heart of the Chinese people. It's remarkable that something 2000 years old still resonates with people today."