UW-Milwaukee Celebrates Chinese Culture as Chinese Student Admissions Rise

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Students Yuehua Zhao and Yan Yan Wang drew students’ names in Chinese, revealing the meaning. Student Hannah Thao was serving tea. Black and green teas are very popular in China. There was also helper Sylvester Schilteis, cutting paper into beautiful designs that are popular in China.

During this time of the month, it is known as a festive time in Chinese Culture. The Chinese student organization and Foreign Language and Literature Department at UW-Milwaukee threw an event called Chinese Day.

Chart by the UWM Office of Assessment and Institutional Research.
Chart by the UWM Office of Assessment and Institutional Research.
Chinese Day at UWM. Photo by Tiara Allen.
Chinese Day at UWM. Photo by Tiara Allen.

The Chinese population at UWM is on the rise, more than tripling in the past 10 years, according to the UWM Office of Assessment and Institutional Research. About 1,500 students at UWM are international students from Asian countries (in contrast, the number of students from North America has dropped sharply in recent years).

Martial art performers gave the crowd a show, in addition to the special tea presentation ceremony, and Chinese name drawing and painting. Visitors were able to learn about the many famous Chinese people in America and were introduced to Chinese games that informed them of their fortune.

Chinese Day taught students about Chinese culture. Photo by Tiara Allen.
Chinese Day taught students about Chinese culture. Photo by Tiara Allen.

The director in charge of Chinese Day, Xiaorong Wang, wanted everyone to know more about Chinese culture because she felt people didn’t know enough about it. This event was to introduce people to the culture and show them things they might not have known. The fear of the unknown is what keeps people away from learning new things, Wang said, adding: “We want people to see that contemporary Chinese culture is similar to American culture.”

The Chinese Student Association celebrated the annual Chinese day Event on Nov. 4. Anybody who was interested in Chinese culture was welcome. The event was held in the center of the Union on the Ground level. There was modern and cultural music playing that made the event come to life. Over 60 people were in attendance at any one given time, checking out the festivities.

Chinese Day was an event to inform the student body that Chinese culture is indeed rich and flourishing. “Chinese culture is welcoming and warm, and very open for exploration,” said Wang. “Whether its Chinese writing, or tea pouring ceremony, we want students to come learn about Chinese culture.”