Most of my friends are American, so they do not know much about Chinese culture. Since I am Chinese, I want to introduce them to it. I want to tell them all about Chinese food, traditions, and dances, which are all important parts of Chinese culture.
Chinese dances are my favorite. Now, about Chinese food: my friend Julia once said she did not like Chinese food, so I asked her why. She told me that she had only been to Panda Express, and I was like—that’s not REAL Chinese food, it’s only American food. But she still said she did not like it.
So I told my mom, and she said I should invite Julia to a Chinese festival or a real Chinese restaurant. If I get the chance, I am going to take her to a REAL Chinese restaurant. I was thinking of Dimsum Palace, but I will see what she thinks.
Now about Chinese traditions. Some of my friends do not even know anything about them. (I was going to say their names, but I forgot who they were.) I told them they were missing out because we get red bags with money in them for Chinese New Year. My dad’s friends in Hong Kong gave me so much money for some reason. One person gave me two 500 Hong Kong dollar bills, and someone else gave me two 100 Hong Kong dollar bills. My friends were very surprised.
When I went to my uncle’s house, our family was celebrating Chinese New Year, and my great-aunt Anita told me that I could not open my red bags until the full moon. She did not want people to get jealous if I got more money, because I was usually the spoiled one with all the good gifts and money. Guess what? I did not wait until the full moon, which was two days later—I opened them as soon as I got home. My friends told me I was a very naughty kid, and I told them my great-aunt never found out. LOL.
Another Chinese tradition I would like to tell my American friends about is dancing. My favorite is the dragon dance—it never gets old to me, although it might to you. If you read my story called “The Chinese Dances,” which I turned in for the competition, you would know that I also dance ballet at Chinese school. I performed the Jasmine Flower dance, the Mongolia dance, and the Miaow dance (I don’t think I spelled that correctly, but you know what I mean).
I also told you about the outfits I wore for the dances. As I mentioned, the Jasmine Flower outfit was very uncomfortable. I didn’t say this before, but my friend Janice and I were complaining the whole time we were dancing. The other outfits, like the one for the Miaow dance, were much more comfortable than the Jasmine Flower outfit.
I really hope that my friends can learn more about Chinese traditions!
(Second Prize)
