Two weeks ago my husband and our daughter and her family attended a Lunar New Year celebration in nearby Jacksonville, a historic gold mining town that was established in the early 1850s upon the discovery of gold in the area. That discovery drew a host of fortune seekers to the region, including those from China. Southern Oregon became home to the earliest Chinese communities in the Pacific Northwest, and by 1864 there were 100 miners in the community, but Chinese immigrants also were merchants, cooks, housekeepers, operated laundries and worked on railroad and other construction and agricultural projects. Newspaper accounts from the era describe Lunar New Year celebrations taking place all during this time, complete with plenty of firecrackers.

Once the gold had played out by the early 20th century, most Chinese moved on. State and federal laws and onerous taxes imposed on foreign workers made it nearly impossible for them to own businesses or land (at least, officially), and white citizens for the most part proved suspicious and unwelcoming, at best. But a hardy historical legacy hung on, and since 2006 the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association and other local sponsors have managed and organized Jacksonville’s annual Lunar New Year celebration. This year’s festivities honoring the Year of the Dragon included performers and exhibitors representing several Asian cultures: Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese as well as Chinese.

The free event was held on the grounds of the Britt Pavilion, a large grassy amphitheater with additional side stages which offered plenty of room for a host of booths, demonstrations and activities for all ages. We were present at 10 a.m. for opening remarks and the display of a 70-foot-long dragon puppet on loan from San Francisco. The impressive and venerable “Mighty One,”  constructed in Guangzhou, China, came to San Francisco in 1968 and had made a previous appearance here in Jacksonville 10 years ago. We were also treated to a greeting ceremony by a local private high school’s international program, which boasts a robust exchange program for Chinese students. They performed a lively lion dance  to kick off a series of performances throughout the day which included martial arts, a Chinese historical fashion show, tea ceremony, Tai Chi and taiko drumming.

We then dispersed across the hillside to explore the various booths and hands-on activities. There were many families with children present, and the dragon bounce house proved a great outlet for all their kinetic energy.   They could try their hands at picking up M&Ms with chopsticks and playing hacky sack. Kids could also have their face painted (I saw some very elaborate dragon designs), make origami dragon puppets, have their names written in Chinese calligraphy, try on traditional clothing and enjoy story time. One could also create very elaborate paper lanterns which required many steps . . . so a little beyond what most younger kids could handle. I saw plenty of adults getting in on the action, though.   I was also fascinated by a young woman creating very detailed Chinese pastry buns, using dyed dough and tiny scissors and tools to create a beautiful edible lion.   I also had the chance to examine the lion dance costumes, used in the opening ceremony, more closely.

Booths and displays by the Southern Oregon Historical Society and Southern Oregon University’s Laboratory of Anthropology shared historical photos from the 1800s and provided information about artifacts found in the area. With my interest in gardening, I was drawn to the ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) booth, where, even though little is blooming at this time of year, Cathy Cooper provided arrangements of seasonal foliage—and some store-bought blooms—that were simple but lovely.

I also really enjoyed exploring the displays of bonsai and penjing. Most are familiar with the Japanese art of sculpting and training trees (bonsai), but few are aware of the much older Chinese tradition of penjing. Over 2,000 years old and the forerunner of bonsai (about 700 years old), it translates as landscape or scene (pen) in a pot (jing) and may include water, rocks and figurines as well as trees and plants. Several of the bonsai were silhouettes, which feature leafless trees and focus on form and structure.   The penjing displays were equally appealing in their balanced composition and variety of elements. They generally appear more wild or natural than their bonsai counterparts.   I especially liked this cotoneaster shrub, its roots clinging to a rock, and this very subtle and soothing arrangement of moss and stone.

We were able to explore so many aspects of Asian cultures in this celebration and could have spent more hours there, but as the clouds which had been threatening all morning finally started to spit rain, we made our retreat with a vow to return next year.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor