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Waving red handkerchiefs, dancers of the Xiamen University Students Art Troupe share a traditional Chinese dance welcoming spring during the group’s performance Sunday at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. Central Carolina Community College hosted the event, which was brought to Sanford through the college’s Confucius Classroom and its partnership with North Carolina State University’s Confucius Institute. It was the fourth in a series of authentic, traditional Chinese cultural events the college has hosted in the area. The Spring Festival Gala, performed by student and instructor dancers and musicians of the Art College of Xiamen University, People’s Republic of China, also celebrated the start of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit, which began Feb. 3. For more information about CCCC’s Confucius Classroom, visit www.cccc.edu/confucius or call (919) 718-7386 or (919) 718-7376.

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Waving colorful fans, dancers of the Xiamen University Students Art Troupe, share a graceful Chinese ballet, ‘Jasmine Flowers,’ during the group’s performance Sunday at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. The Spring Festival Gala, performed by student and instructor dancers and musicians of the Art College of Xiamen University, People’s Republic of China, also celebrated the start of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit, which began Feb. 3. Central Carolina Community College hosted the event, which was brought to Sanford through the college’s Confucius Classroom and its partnership with North Carolina State University’s Confucius Institute. It was the fourth in a series of authentic, traditional Chinese cultural events the college has hosted in the area. For more information about CCCC’s Confucius Classroom, visit www.cccc.edu/confucius or call (919) 718-7386 or (919) 718-7376.

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Musicians of the Xiamen University Students Art Troupe performed several traditional Chinese pieces, as well as some well-know American tunes, during the group’s performance Sunday at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. The musicians and their instruments are (from left) Ning Dengyi, urheen (a two-stringed violin); Wang Liudi, bamboo flute; Zhang Zhewang, hammered dulcimer; Li Jie, lute; and Liu Can, zither. The Spring Festival Gala also included folk dance, ballet and martial arts, all performed by student and instructor dancers and musicians of the Art College of Xiamen University, People’s Republic of China. The show also celebrated the start of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit, which began Feb. 3. Central Carolina Community College hosted the performance, which was brought to Sanford through the college’s Confucius Classroom and its partnership with North Carolina State University’s Confucius Institute. It was the fourth in a series of authentic, traditional Chinese cultural events the college has hosted in the area. For more information about CCCC’s Confucius Classroom, visit www.cccc.edu/confucius or call (919) 718-7386 or (919) 718-7376.

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Liu Can, zither player with the instrumental ensemble of the Xiamen University Students Art Troupe, performed several traditional Chinese pieces, as well as some well-know American tunes with the ensemble during the Students Art Troupe’s performance Sunday at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. The Spring Festival Gala also included folk dance, ballet and martial arts, all performed by student and instructor dancers and musicians of the Art College of Xiamen University, People’s Republic of China. The show also celebrated the start of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit, which began Feb. 3. Central Carolina Community College hosted the group’s appearance, which was brought to Sanford through the college’s Confucius Classroom and its partnership with North Carolina State University’s Confucius Institute. It was the fourth in a series of authentic, traditional Chinese cultural events the college has hosted in the area. For more information about CCCC’s Confucius Classroom, visit www.cccc.edu/confucius or call (919) 718-7386 or (919) 718-7376.

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Performers of the Xiamen University Students Art Troupe welcomed spring with dance and music at a performance Sunday at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center. At the end of the show, the university’s delegation presented a calligraphic painting to Central Carolina Community College President Bud Marchant and welcomed the friendship that has been established between the two institutions. Pictured (from left) are Sam Gaskins, Sanford City councilmember; Sanford Mayor Cornelia Olive; CCCC President Bud Marchant; Lin Gongming, chairman of Xiamen’s Art College Council and deputy delegation head; Fang Guangzhi, Art College assistant professor; Martin Woods Jr., an American student enrolled in Xiamen’s Overseas Education College and the master of ceremonies for the event; Xiaoying Wang, deputy director for North Carolina State University’s Confucius Institute; and Shuya Che, CCCC visiting professor and instructor for the college’s Confucius Classroom. CCCC hosted the event, which was brought to Sanford through the Confucius Classroom in partnership with NCSU’s Confucius Institute. It was the fourth in a series of authentic, traditional Chinese cultural events the college has hosted in the area. For more information about CCCC’s Confucius Classroom, visit www.cccc.edu/confucius or call (919) 718-7386 or (919) 718-7376.