Brenda He is wearing
hanfu and is adorned with ornate hairpieces on her head while celebrating her coming-of-age ceremony on Saturday at the Glow Cultural Center in Flushing, Queens, New York, where she has served as a community volunteer for three years. MINGMEI LI / China Daily
Under the watchful eyes of guests, Brenda He slowly walked to the center of the stage. Dressed in a turquoise hanfu and gradually adorning her head with ornate hairpieces, she completed her coming-of-age ceremony, witnessed by the community she serves.
For her, the event on Saturday was special, as she celebrated the big day with her family and friends in a traditional Chinese Han-style ceremony, coinciding with the Chinese traditional Dragon Boat Festival.
"I really like being a part of the Chinese culture. Honestly, this is my first time working with a hanfu, but they've always been part of our event, and I'm grateful for that," the 17-year-old told China Daily. "That's my heritage."
"I plan to wear my hanfu for my high school graduation that's in a few weeks," she said. Brenda said hanfu is good for big days like graduation and becoming an adult. "Hanfu is something that not everyone knows about, so we set up the hanfu club to spread our culture more," she said.
As a Chinese American, Brenda has served as a student volunteer for three years, promoting Chinese art and culture in the Queens borough of New York City. She is also one of the recipients of the 2020 President's Community Service Award.
"I really love working with the community and with my volunteers," she said. "They're also my motivation to keep going."
Born and raised in the United States, Brenda said she was not that "cultured" at the beginning, but found that serving the Chinese community is also a path for her to learn about herself, her identity and her community.
Young American-born Chinese children perform a self-directed minidrama celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival Saturday at the Glow Cultural Center in Flushing, Queens, New York, telling the tale of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), whom Chinese people commemorate on this day. MINGMEI LI / China Daily
"I finally saw our volunteer go through this traditional Chinese coming-of-age ceremony. It means she's taking on a new role, no longer a kid, but someone with more social responsibilities," said Ming Liang, director of programs at the Glow Cultural Center in Flushing, Queens, where the event was held.
"I hope that children of Chinese descent can revive this coming-of-age ceremony for girls, known as the Ji Li, even while living abroad. Also. boys can experience their own Guan Li adulthood ceremony," she said. "I want to see this tradition carried on and increasingly observed overseas."
Ming thanked Brenda for her service to the community center. As part of the ceremony, Brenda received a calligraphy scroll with her "official" Chinese name, "Jiayou", chosen by the community for her. She is the third daughter in her family, but the elder who named her siblings unfortunately passed away before she was born.
"It's part of my family name, and there is also a symbolic meaning of ‘you,'" she added. The word "you" means "to protect", which is a good blessing before her journey as a pre-med student at Boston University.
US-born Chinese children also performed a self-directed minidrama celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival, telling the tale of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), whom Chinese people commemorate on this day.
The festival, also called Duanwu, falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which is Monday.
"I thought the children didn't understand our culture, but with our community efforts, we gradually realized that they actually enjoy these activities very much," Ming said. "I'm glad to see everyone deeply attracted to these various aspects of Chinese traditional culture!"
"I really like working here because, even though I might not be part of the Asian community, I feel very welcome," said Brandon Cabrera Gonzalez, an 18-year-old volunteer.
"I like Chinese culture, and I really love it because I've been to many of the events, like the Lunar New Year, the Fall Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival) and the Dragon Boat Festival," he said. "It's very fun to see different aspects of their music, art and food."
The Glow Cultural Center also had small games and crafts as part of the Dragon Boat Festival for families and all ages, such as making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), embroidering five-color lucky bracelets, and shooting down the "five poisons".
"Whether it's these diverse folk games or folk crafts, they are all ways in which people have accumulated a longing for beauty and an expression of a good life throughout our thousand-year heritage of Chinese culture," Ming said. "Bringing these small games, which carry some traditional Chinese wisdom, into our lives has both festival commemorative significance and beautifully adorns everyday life."
