A MESSAGE FROM reaching for the sky fundraising for new york chinese freemasons' barongsai!!!
Whilst I've always used exercise as a means to destress, being a self-proclaimed HIIT human and lone wolf at the gym, until recently running long distances was never something that crossed my mind as a potentially enjoyable activity. (Which is a very roundabout way to say I hated running lol) However, having just moved alone to NYC in January of last year I was so fortunate to find an incredibly welcoming, supportive and encouraging community with Run for Chinatown, so much so that I've been inspired to run a whole marathon with the crew! Running 42 kilometres straight is something I never thought would ever remotely interest me, let alone a feat I'd be capable of undertaking, and the race will be made even more special by the fact that it'll traverse the entirety of this energetic city I've adopted as a home away from home!!
Being a fourth-generation Chinese Indonesian having grown up in Australia, I'd unfortunately never felt particularly connected to my Chinese ancestry, nor did I feel motivated to develop any nuanced erudition about it. Yet funnily enough, despite being one of the furthest places on the globe from East Asia, moving to NYC and engaging with the Run for Chinatown community and the general Chinese diaspora here has given me new insights and opportunities to observe different manifestations of Chinese identity, and thus has helped me learn about and explore my own Chinese heritage. That being said, one cultural artifact that I've grown up with and have indeed consistently engaged with as an expression of my Chinese identity is barongsai (a.k.a. lion dance)!! The nostalgia of seeing the ferocious lion faces and feeling the ground thud as the drums and symbols strike still brings me great comfort and warmth! Moreover, seeing barongsai being routinely performed year after year as an iconic Lunar New Year tradition, all over the world where Chinese populations have immigrated and continue to thrive, serves as a proud reminder that I hail from a lineage of bravery, resilience and adaptability.
I think it would be awesome to be able to raise funds for the NYC Chinese Freemasons to keep this incredible cultural heritage alive and relevant in overseas Chinese diasporas, especially as a fun and simultaneously physically and mentally healthy way for ethnically Chinese youths to take pride in and feel tied to their family's culture and traditions. I know I would've been thrilled to jump around as a lion when I was a child!! (or even now tbh lol) Through fundraising I would also feel so privileged to be able to contribute and give back to the incredible Chinatown community who have already given me so so much and have made me feel right at home!
Being a fourth-generation Chinese Indonesian having grown up in Australia, I'd unfortunately never felt particularly connected to my Chinese ancestry, nor did I feel motivated to develop any nuanced erudition about it. Yet funnily enough, despite being one of the furthest places on the globe from East Asia, moving to NYC and engaging with the Run for Chinatown community and the general Chinese diaspora here has given me new insights and opportunities to observe different manifestations of Chinese identity, and thus has helped me learn about and explore my own Chinese heritage. That being said, one cultural artifact that I've grown up with and have indeed consistently engaged with as an expression of my Chinese identity is barongsai (a.k.a. lion dance)!! The nostalgia of seeing the ferocious lion faces and feeling the ground thud as the drums and symbols strike still brings me great comfort and warmth! Moreover, seeing barongsai being routinely performed year after year as an iconic Lunar New Year tradition, all over the world where Chinese populations have immigrated and continue to thrive, serves as a proud reminder that I hail from a lineage of bravery, resilience and adaptability.
I think it would be awesome to be able to raise funds for the NYC Chinese Freemasons to keep this incredible cultural heritage alive and relevant in overseas Chinese diasporas, especially as a fun and simultaneously physically and mentally healthy way for ethnically Chinese youths to take pride in and feel tied to their family's culture and traditions. I know I would've been thrilled to jump around as a lion when I was a child!! (or even now tbh lol) Through fundraising I would also feel so privileged to be able to contribute and give back to the incredible Chinatown community who have already given me so so much and have made me feel right at home!
