'Pandamonium' breaks out on Chinese New Year

Lun Lun, one of three giant pandas living at Zoo Atlanta, celebrates Chinese New Year on Feb. 24. That night, more than 700 members of the Emory community joined her at a Chinese New Year party called "Pandamonium."

Photo by Jeremiah Lin 08B

Mei Lan, Zoo Atlanta's giant-panda debutant, is no stranger to celebration. From the first time she opened her eyes to her coming-out in Atlanta society, the panda cub's every move has been fêted. On Feb. 24, however, the pandas had something different to rejoice in: Emory's Chinese New Year celebration. Deemed “Pandamonium,” the event drew almost 700 people to Zoo Atlanta's Panda Veranda for traditional food, dance and music performances, and of course, pandas.

Though Mei Lan slept through the event—the panda viewing began at 6 p.m.—her mother, Lun Lun, entertained guests for two hours while eating a dinner of bamboo shoots. Dining on a slightly more filling meal catered by Saigon Café after the panda viewing, the evening's guests were treated to a host of traditional performances in the banquet tent. From the opening act of Char Myers Dance Group's “Lion Dance” to a performance by children from the Eve Hao Dance Studio, the tent filled with music and rhythm well into the night.

Next to the tent, the World of Coke Amphitheater showed back-to-back performances by various vocal artists and instrumentalists, including a violin, cello, and piano performance of “Deep Perils” by Jessica Cheng 07B, Tracy Tzen 07B, and Nancy Shim 07C and the event's closing act, Emory's AHANA a cappella group.

This Chinese New Year celebration embodied the spirit of the holiday bringing together family and friends from the Emory and Atlanta communities. Co-sponsored by the Emory Chinese Student Association (ECSA), Student Government Association (SGA), Office of Multicultural Programs and Services, Russian and East Asian Languages and Cultures (REALC), Center for International Living, and the Office of President Jim Wagner, among others, the event aimed to promote cultural awareness and diversity—both goals that were easily achieved.

“Pandamonium was an event that was special since it was of such a grand and spectacular magnitude, and it was also extremely diverse,” said Jeremiah Lin 08B, co-president of ECSA. “You could look around the banquet tent and see members of all races and backgrounds; members of cultural groups, sports teams, fraternities and sororities, faculty, and alumni, as well as members of the Atlanta community.”

For the event's organizers, Pandamonium was a great success. For its guests, the evening was spectacular. And for Mei Lan and Lun Lun, there could not have been a better way to open the Year of the Pig.—Leila Borders 07C