AWARENESS IN ROOTS IN CHINESE CULTURE

Awareness of Roots in Chinese Culture (ARCC) is a club founded in the 1990s to help preserve Chinese cultural traditions at Carnegie Mellon. This involves hosting food events, putting on cultural performances, and club bonding. 

Food events were open to the entire university, and involved club members teaching attendees how to make traditional foods. For example, during Dumpling Night, guests were given 6 wrappers and seated at tables with bowls of filling; club members would teach them how to make dumplings, and then their creations would be cooked for them to eat.

ARCC’s cultural performances are hosted by other clubs’ variety shows, university diversity showcases, or in ARCC’s own production, the annual Spring Theatre show, formerly known as One Night in Beijing (ONiB). Spring Theatre is a combination of play and variety show, with story scenes featuring a Chinese legend, such as Nezha or the Butterfly Lovers, interspersed with traditional dance, martial arts, lion dance, and Chinese acapella.

 In my senior year, I became Director of Spring Theatre/ONiB where I wrote and directed the show, serving as its overall artistic lead. I even designed the t-shirt and poster for that year. The curtain call at the end of that show has remained one of the proudest moments of my life so far.

Positions I have held in the club are:

• Culture Chair

• ONiB Art Board Chair (Prop Committee Chair)

• Short Film Board Chair

• ONiB Assistant Director

• ONiB Director

Projects I have worked on for the club are:

• ONiB 2016: Journey to the West

• ONiB 2017: Dragonthread

• ONiB 2018: Nezha Conquers the Sea

• ONiB Short Film 2018

• ONiB 2019: Journey to the West

Other Contributions I have made to the club are:

• Swag Designs

• Prop Designs