FIRST SATURDAY PDX
  • Spring Fundraiser Banquet Lunch/ Auction 18 FEB, 2023
  • Upcoming Presentation 4 March, 2023
  • Welcome to First Saturday PDX
  • CURRENT SEASON 2022 - 2023
    • Quick Preview of Season 2022 - 2023
    • Season Schedule (2022 - 2023)
    • A Visit to the Soreng Gallery of Chinese Art ​at the ​Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art​, 10 September, 2022
    • ​China’s Last Imperial Frontier: Late Qing Expansion in Sichuan’s Tibetan Borderlands 15 October, 2022
    • Girls with Big Ideas: Gidget and Song of Youth 5 November, 2022
    • * DIM SUM/ YUM CHA BRUNCH!! 19 November, 2022 *
    • Following the Thread: China Along the Road of Silk 3 December, 2022
    • The Chinese Massacre in Hells Canyon 7 January 2023
    • Spring Fundraiser Banquet Lunch/ Auction 18 FEB, 2023
    • Inscribing Chinese Gardens: The Origins of Shutiaoshi 书条石 4 March, 2023
  • THE FIRST 20 YEARS
  • PAST SEASONS & PROGRAMS
    • Past Seasons & Program Highlights >
      • Season 2021 - 2022 >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2021 - 2022
        • Season Schedule 2021 - 2022
        • The Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project, 2 October 2021
        • Connecting to our Natural World: The Portland Botanical Gardens, 6 November 2021
        • Lan Su Chinese Garden: ​The Vision of a Classical Chinese Garden, 4 December 2021
        • ​Re-visioning ​Chinese History, ​900-1350: ​The New Look of Song and Yuan, 8 January, 2022
        • Chinese New Year 2022/ Year of the Tiger 4720, 5 February, 2022
        • Auspicious Seals and Chops, 5 February 2022
        • The Erhu and Erhu Music, 5 March, 2022
        • Pictorial Naturalism and "Truth": Contextualizing the Eleventh-century Luohan Sculptures of Lingyan Temple in China, 2 April, 2022
        • Celebrated Stories in Sichuan Shadow Theater,7 May, 2022
        • The Daode Jing's Forgotten Forebear: The Ancestral Cult 4 June, 2022
      • 2020 - 2021 Season >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2020 - 2021
        • Season Schedule 2020 - 2021
        • Collecting Under Socialism: Philately in 1950s China, 12 September, 2020
        • Myriad Treasures: Celebrating the Reinstallation of the Soreng Gallery of Chinese Art Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, 3 October, 2020
        • The Real Mulan? Tales of a Female Rebel in 18th century China 7 November, 2020
        • Spice it Up! ​How the Chile Pepper Flavored Chinese Culture 5 December, 2020
        • A Century of Collecting Chinese Painting at Oberlin College 9 January, 2021 ​
        • Chinese New Year 2021/ Year of the Ox 4719
        • Artistic Exchange Between China and Europe in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries 6 March, 2021
        • The Scholar’s Retreat: Loss and Resilience in the Chinese Landscape and Garden 3 April 2021
        • Simmering, Whisking, Steeping: Methods for Preparing and Consuming Tea in Premodern China
        • Silk and Sericulture: Beauty Inspired by a Social Contract
      • 2019 - 2020 Season >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2019 - 2020
        • Season Schedule 2019 - 2020
        • Mawangdui: The Tomb of China’s Sleeping Beauty, 7 December 2019
        • Field Notes from Sichuan: Learning To Be a Foreigner, 5 October 2019
        • In Search of Korean Liberation in China, 2 November 2019
        • From an Architect's Perspective: 3, 5, 7, 9 Column Halls: Status and Hierarchy in a Confucius Society, 7 December 2019
        • China Under the Covers - ​A Bookbinder’s Journey to the Roots of Books 11 January, 2020
        • Lunar New Year Lunch, 1 February, 2020
        • Early Phonetic Rendering Schemes for Chinese Characters, 7 March 2020
        • The Garden of Elk Rock at Bishop's Close, 4 April 2020
      • 2018 - 2019 Season >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2018 - 2019
        • Season Schedule 2018 - 2019
        • Notable Women of Portland, 8 September 2018
        • Mooncakes: A Hallmark of Tradition of the Mid-Autumn Festival, 6 October 2018
        • Music: A Universal Language for Healing and Touching the Soul, 3 November 2018
        • China: In the Pursuit of Happiness, 1 December 2019
        • Babur's Gardens: An Illustrated Introduction, 5 January 2019
        • Chinese New Year Lunch 2 February, 2019
        • Living with Penjing: Three Dimensional Poetry, 2 March 2019
        • Discovering the Intellectual and Sensory Essences of Chinese Literati Gardens, 6 April 2019
        • Sino-Japanese Cultural Connections in the Yuan Dynasty, 4 May 2019 ​​
      • 2017 - 2018 Season >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2017 - 2018
        • Season Schedule 2017 - 2018
        • Developing Patronage: Chinese and Asian Pacific Heritage, 9 September 2017
        • Every Plant Has a Story to Tell: Bamboo, 7 October 2017
        • Wonders to Enjoy: Chinese Snuff Bottles, 4 November 2017
        • Sichuan Shadow Theater: Messages from Hell Courts, 2 December 2017
        • Legacy of the Qing Manchu Culture: The Sibe of Northwest China, 6 January 2018
        • Chinese New Year Brunch, 3 February 2018
        • Classical Tradition: Ancient Musical Instruments of China, 3 March 2018
        • Welcome to First Saturday PDX
        • Ancient Traders of the Silk Road: The Uyghur People of Xinjiang, 7 April 2018
        • "Poetic Exposition on Heaven and Earth": A Third-Century Chinese Verse on How the Cosmos Began, 28 April 2018
        • Word Play: The Art of Xu Bing, 2 June 2018
      • 2016 - 2017 Season >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2016 - 2017
        • Season Schedule 2016 - 2017
        • Contemporary Chinese Society: A View from the Films of Zhang Yimou, 6 May 2017
        • Chinese New Year Brunch, 4 February 2017
        • The Uyghurs: History of a People at the Center of Asia, Part 1, 4 March 2017
        • Creating a Tea Aesthetic ​in Tang Verse, 3 June 2017
      • 2015 - 2016 Season >
        • Season Schedule 2015 - 2016
        • Guzheng and Erhu: A Dialog Between the Strings, 2 April 2016
      • 2014 - 2015 Season >
        • Season Schedule 2014 - 2015
      • 2013 - 2014 Season
      • 2012 - 2013 Season
      • 2011 - 2012 Season
      • 2010 - 2011 Season
      • 2009 - 2010 Season
      • 2008 - 2009 Season
      • 2007 - 2008 Season
      • 2006 - 2007 Season
      • 2005 - 2006 Season
  • Videos
  • Partners
  • Join our Email List/ Contact Us
  • Zoom!
  • Stop Asian Hate Resources
Due to pandemic there is no in-person Chinese Lunar New Year Lunch scheduled this year.   You are invited to join our celebratory Tea House session after our
​5 February, 2022 presentation.  
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Xīnnián Kuàilè / Sun Nin Fai Lok
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Year 4720 in the Chinese Lunar Calendar (solar year 2022) is the year of the Water Tiger, 水老虎 (shuǐ lǎohǔ).  This year the first day of the lunar year is 1 February.  Also known as the Spring Festival, 春節 (chūenjié), this holiday is celebrated for 15 days, culminating in the Lantern Festival  on 15 February, 2022.  (Lantern Viewings and Chinese New Year Celebrations are ongoing at Lan Su Chinese Garden - see here)
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The Spring Festival is the most festive holiday of the year. Traditionally a time to honor deities and ancestors, it is also a time to cook and feast with family and friends.  In preparation to welcome the Lunar New Year, one's home is cleaned, and decorated with red lanterns and poetic characters and verses written on red paper.  As the prominent celebratory color of the season, red clothing is also worn.  Outstanding debts are paid off, and gold  金  (jīn) and money 錢 (qián) are gifted to younger relatives and employees in red envelopes 紅寶 (hóngbāo). 

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​The tiger is the king of all beasts and thus, is associated with warriors. Depicted with stripes on his head to form the Chinese character for king, he is known for strength, bravery, and exorcising evils.

Similarly, the tiger and the dragon have long been regarded as auspicious creatures with great power. Viewed as the ultimate pair, they are frequently alongside each other in Chinese Buddhism, feng shui, art and philosophy.  According to an ancient Chinese proverb, dragons control the clouds while tigers control the wind.  This natural harmony is thought to create fertility and peace.  Evidence of these beliefs is found in verses of Chinese classics, such as Yi Qing, which state that “dragon growls, clouds arise; tiger roars, winds form.” 


Tigers are regal, impressive, and ferocious creatures. They are also stealthy and determined hunters. People of this Chinese zodiac sign are portraits in courage and leadership.  They like doing things their own way, and once they set a goal for themselves, they will do anything to make it happen. 


The slow, gentle and hardworking nature of the ox that characterized 2021 will be replaced by the speed, strength and power of the Tiger in 2022.  There will  be a sense of passion, urgency, and boldness - a year to go big, or go home. 

This year's Tiger is associated with water, which represents vital essences, spirituality, deep emotions, parents, elders, teachers, mentors, protection, knowledge,  remedies and health.   Those who care for each other deeply will be in more than regular contact in 2022. 

This Year of the Water Tiger is ruled by the element of wood, specifically yang wood.  As the only one of the five elements (wood, fire, metal, earth water) that grows, wood signifies improvement and growth for this year, as well as the virtues of benevolence and generosity.    In addition, yang water is characterized by kindness, alertness, curiosity and intuitive intelligence.  

According to the ancient Chinese philosophy of yin and yang, where opposite forces come together in harmony, the transition from a yin ox to a yang tiger should be palpable.  The overall energy level of 2022 will be higher than it was in 2021.  This year brings back some vitality and strength, and more determination to achieve goals.  Much like how a tiger responds to the world, the upcoming 12 months will evoke self-confidence and enthusiasm as well as competence and courage in the face of challenges.  

Here is our virtual Chinese New Year meal, with auspicious foods and their respective symbolisms: ​
(Please click here to view on our YouTube channel)
The Chinese believe that if one eats well at the very beginning of the New Year, this ensures being well fed for the rest of the year.  We would like to share some recipes for traditional Lunar New Year's dishes in the links below of delectable discoveries from sources we appreciate in our culinary explorations and our own committee members: 
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  • Pork and Chive Dumplings (Jiaozi) 餃子
  • Vegetable Spring Rolls (Chun Gun/ Chūen Zhuǎn) 素春卷
  • Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Gou/ Luóbo Gāo) 蘿蔔糕
  • Taro Cake (Wu Tau Gou/ Yùtou Gāo) 芋頭糕 
  • Cantonese Poached Chicken (Bak Chit Gai/ Bai Qie Ji) 白切鸡 
  • Cantonese Steamed Whole Fish (Zing Yu/ Qīngzhēng Yú) 清蒸魚
  • Crispy Pork Belly (Siu Yuk/ KǎoWǔhuāròu) ‎燒肉/ 烤五花肉
  • Chinese Boiled Shrimp with Scallion Dipping Sauce
              (Bak Cheuk Ha/Bái Zǔo Xiā) 白灼蝦
  • Buddha's Delight (Ló Hān Jāi) / Luóhàn Zhāii) 羅漢菜
  • Cantonese Fried Noodles (Chǐ Yóu Wàng Chǎomiàn) 豉油王炒面
  • Sesame Seed Balls (Jin Dui/ Zhīma Qiú)  芝麻球  
  • Fortune Cake (Fa Gao) 发糕 
  • Sabina's Sweet Rice Cake ​( Nin Gou/ Nián Gāo) 年糕
  • Eight Treasure Rice Pudding (Bat Bo Fan/ Bā Bǎo Fàn) 八宝饭​


For an example of available distinct and tasty Chinese Lunar New Year banquet items, Pure Spice Restaurant is offering the following this year:
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新年大盘菜:
海参,鲍鱼仔,虾,烧鸭,鸡,发菜肉丸,冬菇,干贝,蚝豉,鹅掌,连藕,香芋
New Year large combination dish:
Sea Cucumber, Baby Abalone, Shrimp, Roast Duck, Roast Chicken, Fa Choy Moss, Meatballs, Mushrooms,  Scallops, Oysters, Goose Feet, Lotus Root, Taro
This special and traditional dish symbolizes unity and togetherness,
​with the ingredients representing prosperity, loyalty, fortune and wealth.​
Banquet Menus:
​
​四式大拼盘

海鲜粟米羹
合桃虾
北京鸭
雀巢海中宝
上汤龙虾伊面
鲍灵菇扒时菜
红烧脆皮乳鸽
海鲜炒饭
清蒸海上鲜
​
  • ​​​Four Appetizers Combination Dish
  • Seafood & Fish Maw Corn Soup​
  • Walnut Shrimp
  • Peking Duck
  • Seafood Combination in a Bird Nest
  • Lobster Yee Noodle in soup
  • Mushroom with Vegetable
  • Roast Crispy Pigeon
  • Seafood Fried Rice
  • Steamed Whole Fish

​​​大三拼盘
海鲜鱼肚羹
贵妃鸡或者烧鸭
琥珀带子虾球
竹笙扒时莱
姜葱炒大蟹
干烧伊面
京都肉扒
招牌炒饭
干煎龙利鱼
  • ​​Three Appetizers Combination Dish
  • Seafood & Fish Maw Corn Soup
  • Steam Chicken or Roast Duck
  • Shrimp & Scallop
  • Vegetables with Bamboo Shoots
  • Crab  with Ginger & Green Onion
  • Pan Fried Big Yee Noodles
  • Peking Pork Chop
  • House Fried Rice​
  • Pan Fried Whole Flounder
For more information:  Pure Spice Restaurant   + 1 503 772 1808 ​ http://www.purespicerestaurant.com

​We thank our generous speakers, valued volunteers, and loyal and new attendees.  First Saturday PDX wishes you all a fulfilling new year with good fortune, prosperity, good health, longevity, happiness, success, kindness, and adventure ! ​

 Further information on the traditions of Chinese New Year and the forecast for the Tiger Year 4020: 

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G O N G   X I   F A   C A I / G O N G   H E I   F A T  C H O Y 
First Saturday PDX wishes you best health, happiness, peace and prosperity in the new year!

Many thanks to chinesenewyear and The Woks of Life for information and images for our meal
​​Our educational program series has been developed with support from PSU’s Institute for Asian Studies and the Northwest China Council, and is free and open to the public.​  First Saturday PDX  current full season schedule and descriptions available HERE.  

Although we are currently in an online format, our regular monthly location is at the address below, click on it for directions:  
Portland State University, Academic & Student Recreation Ctr (ASRC),  Room 230
1800 SW 6th Ave, Portland OR 97201

Excellent MAX and bus transportation is right by the venue; plan your Trimet trip HERE.   There is also a nearby parking structure at SW 6th and Harrison with an entrance on 6th Avenue is also available.
View PSU Parking info:  

https://www.pdx.edu/transportation/hourly-visitor-parking​​​
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​© 2014 - 2023  First Saturday PDX
  • Spring Fundraiser Banquet Lunch/ Auction 18 FEB, 2023
  • Upcoming Presentation 4 March, 2023
  • Welcome to First Saturday PDX
  • CURRENT SEASON 2022 - 2023
    • Quick Preview of Season 2022 - 2023
    • Season Schedule (2022 - 2023)
    • A Visit to the Soreng Gallery of Chinese Art ​at the ​Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art​, 10 September, 2022
    • ​China’s Last Imperial Frontier: Late Qing Expansion in Sichuan’s Tibetan Borderlands 15 October, 2022
    • Girls with Big Ideas: Gidget and Song of Youth 5 November, 2022
    • * DIM SUM/ YUM CHA BRUNCH!! 19 November, 2022 *
    • Following the Thread: China Along the Road of Silk 3 December, 2022
    • The Chinese Massacre in Hells Canyon 7 January 2023
    • Spring Fundraiser Banquet Lunch/ Auction 18 FEB, 2023
    • Inscribing Chinese Gardens: The Origins of Shutiaoshi 书条石 4 March, 2023
  • THE FIRST 20 YEARS
  • PAST SEASONS & PROGRAMS
    • Past Seasons & Program Highlights >
      • Season 2021 - 2022 >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2021 - 2022
        • Season Schedule 2021 - 2022
        • The Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project, 2 October 2021
        • Connecting to our Natural World: The Portland Botanical Gardens, 6 November 2021
        • Lan Su Chinese Garden: ​The Vision of a Classical Chinese Garden, 4 December 2021
        • ​Re-visioning ​Chinese History, ​900-1350: ​The New Look of Song and Yuan, 8 January, 2022
        • Chinese New Year 2022/ Year of the Tiger 4720, 5 February, 2022
        • Auspicious Seals and Chops, 5 February 2022
        • The Erhu and Erhu Music, 5 March, 2022
        • Pictorial Naturalism and "Truth": Contextualizing the Eleventh-century Luohan Sculptures of Lingyan Temple in China, 2 April, 2022
        • Celebrated Stories in Sichuan Shadow Theater,7 May, 2022
        • The Daode Jing's Forgotten Forebear: The Ancestral Cult 4 June, 2022
      • 2020 - 2021 Season >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2020 - 2021
        • Season Schedule 2020 - 2021
        • Collecting Under Socialism: Philately in 1950s China, 12 September, 2020
        • Myriad Treasures: Celebrating the Reinstallation of the Soreng Gallery of Chinese Art Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, 3 October, 2020
        • The Real Mulan? Tales of a Female Rebel in 18th century China 7 November, 2020
        • Spice it Up! ​How the Chile Pepper Flavored Chinese Culture 5 December, 2020
        • A Century of Collecting Chinese Painting at Oberlin College 9 January, 2021 ​
        • Chinese New Year 2021/ Year of the Ox 4719
        • Artistic Exchange Between China and Europe in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries 6 March, 2021
        • The Scholar’s Retreat: Loss and Resilience in the Chinese Landscape and Garden 3 April 2021
        • Simmering, Whisking, Steeping: Methods for Preparing and Consuming Tea in Premodern China
        • Silk and Sericulture: Beauty Inspired by a Social Contract
      • 2019 - 2020 Season >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2019 - 2020
        • Season Schedule 2019 - 2020
        • Mawangdui: The Tomb of China’s Sleeping Beauty, 7 December 2019
        • Field Notes from Sichuan: Learning To Be a Foreigner, 5 October 2019
        • In Search of Korean Liberation in China, 2 November 2019
        • From an Architect's Perspective: 3, 5, 7, 9 Column Halls: Status and Hierarchy in a Confucius Society, 7 December 2019
        • China Under the Covers - ​A Bookbinder’s Journey to the Roots of Books 11 January, 2020
        • Lunar New Year Lunch, 1 February, 2020
        • Early Phonetic Rendering Schemes for Chinese Characters, 7 March 2020
        • The Garden of Elk Rock at Bishop's Close, 4 April 2020
      • 2018 - 2019 Season >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2018 - 2019
        • Season Schedule 2018 - 2019
        • Notable Women of Portland, 8 September 2018
        • Mooncakes: A Hallmark of Tradition of the Mid-Autumn Festival, 6 October 2018
        • Music: A Universal Language for Healing and Touching the Soul, 3 November 2018
        • China: In the Pursuit of Happiness, 1 December 2019
        • Babur's Gardens: An Illustrated Introduction, 5 January 2019
        • Chinese New Year Lunch 2 February, 2019
        • Living with Penjing: Three Dimensional Poetry, 2 March 2019
        • Discovering the Intellectual and Sensory Essences of Chinese Literati Gardens, 6 April 2019
        • Sino-Japanese Cultural Connections in the Yuan Dynasty, 4 May 2019 ​​
      • 2017 - 2018 Season >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2017 - 2018
        • Season Schedule 2017 - 2018
        • Developing Patronage: Chinese and Asian Pacific Heritage, 9 September 2017
        • Every Plant Has a Story to Tell: Bamboo, 7 October 2017
        • Wonders to Enjoy: Chinese Snuff Bottles, 4 November 2017
        • Sichuan Shadow Theater: Messages from Hell Courts, 2 December 2017
        • Legacy of the Qing Manchu Culture: The Sibe of Northwest China, 6 January 2018
        • Chinese New Year Brunch, 3 February 2018
        • Classical Tradition: Ancient Musical Instruments of China, 3 March 2018
        • Welcome to First Saturday PDX
        • Ancient Traders of the Silk Road: The Uyghur People of Xinjiang, 7 April 2018
        • "Poetic Exposition on Heaven and Earth": A Third-Century Chinese Verse on How the Cosmos Began, 28 April 2018
        • Word Play: The Art of Xu Bing, 2 June 2018
      • 2016 - 2017 Season >
        • Quick Preview of Season 2016 - 2017
        • Season Schedule 2016 - 2017
        • Contemporary Chinese Society: A View from the Films of Zhang Yimou, 6 May 2017
        • Chinese New Year Brunch, 4 February 2017
        • The Uyghurs: History of a People at the Center of Asia, Part 1, 4 March 2017
        • Creating a Tea Aesthetic ​in Tang Verse, 3 June 2017
      • 2015 - 2016 Season >
        • Season Schedule 2015 - 2016
        • Guzheng and Erhu: A Dialog Between the Strings, 2 April 2016
      • 2014 - 2015 Season >
        • Season Schedule 2014 - 2015
      • 2013 - 2014 Season
      • 2012 - 2013 Season
      • 2011 - 2012 Season
      • 2010 - 2011 Season
      • 2009 - 2010 Season
      • 2008 - 2009 Season
      • 2007 - 2008 Season
      • 2006 - 2007 Season
      • 2005 - 2006 Season
  • Videos
  • Partners
  • Join our Email List/ Contact Us
  • Zoom!
  • Stop Asian Hate Resources