{"id":13200,"date":"2019-02-06T12:39:06","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T17:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/?p=13200"},"modified":"2019-02-06T12:39:06","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T17:39:06","slug":"greater-pittsburgh-chinese-new-year-gala-welcomes-the-year-of-the-pig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/photos\/2019\/02\/06\/greater-pittsburgh-chinese-new-year-gala-welcomes-the-year-of-the-pig\/","title":{"rendered":"Greater Pittsburgh Chinese New Year Gala Welcomes the Year of the Pig"},"content":{"rendered":"

17-year-old Zihe Tian stands at her friend’s side as she carefully draws a swoop of eyeliner across her eyelid. They laugh, twirl their umbrellas, and work on perfecting their “Jasmine Blossoms” dance backstage as they wait their turn to perform for a packed house at Marshall Middle School’s auditorium.\u00a0“This is an artistic way of not forgetting your cultural roots and your country,” said Tian of the classical Chinese dance she and others from Yanli Dance Academy will bring to the stage.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the opening curtain, a standing-room-only crowd is entertained by comedians, choirs, musicians, dancers and more to welcome in the “Year of the Pig” and celebrate the Greater Pittsburgh Chinese New Year Gala. “For people that live here in Pittsburgh who are just so far away from home, there is no other big celebration in Pittsburgh for us, so we’re kind of like missing the spirit,” said Xiao Lu, the executive director for the gala. The first day of the Chinese New Year falls this year on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, according to the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar<\/span>. See some of the scenes from the previous Saturday’s celebration here:<\/p>\n

<\/i> In Focus Video<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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