SUNY Canton Faculty Shares Chinese New Year Traditions with Area Students

A SUNY Canton faculty member from the School of Business and Liberal Arts shared her culture with first and third graders at Potsdam’s Lawrence Avenue Elementary School.

Visiting Assistant Professor Alice Jiang, who teaches business and management at the college, introduced students to the origins of the Lunar New Year and explained how its date is determined according to the lunar calendar, during her Feb. 25 visit.

She also described how families in China prepare for and celebrate the holiday, highlighting traditional customs and the legends associated with the festival. The engaging presentation sparked strong interest, according to Jiang.

“The atmosphere was lively and joyful, with enthusiastic participation throughout the session,” she said. “Children’s smiles are priceless, and love knows no borders.”

The second half of the program featured interactive cultural activities. Students created traditional lanterns, practiced writing the Chinese character “福,” symbolizing good fortune, received red envelopes conveying New Year blessings, and were given winter scarves as a gesture of warmth and goodwill.

Professor Jiang’s research focuses on the integration of traditional culture and modern management, and her outreach efforts reflect her commitment to promoting cultural understanding in contemporary communities. For three consecutive years, she has visited elementary schools to share Chinese New Year traditions, bringing carefully selected cultural gifts from China to enrich students’ experiences.

She believes that fostering cultural exchange, serving the community, and broadening young students’ global perspectives through education is both meaningful and rewarding.

The initiative reflects her school’s ongoing commitment to community engagement, cultural exchange, and the promotion of diversity.