CHICAGO — The annual Chinese New Year gala at DePaul University will be held Jan. 31 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., room 120, on the Lincoln Park Campus. This year’s event, to commemorate the Year of the Horse, is presented by DePaul’s Chinese Studies Program. The tradition brings together students, faculty and the community to honor the holiday with dinner and cultural performances.

In the Chinese culture, the horse is a symbol of speed, perseverance, nobility and class, according to Li Jin, an assistant professor and director of the Chinese Studies Program. People born in the Year of the Horse are thought to be smart, perceptive, kind to others and great speakers.

“We are always looking for ways to celebrate cultural diversity here at DePaul and the Year of the Horse is an opportunity for us to reflect on what it means, and look at life from a different perspective,” Jin said.

The Chinese Studies Program worked with student organizations including DePaul Chinese Students and Scholars Association, DePaul International Student Organization and NiHao DeBao to create a meaningful schedule of events to honor the tradition of Chinese New Year. This year, music and modern dance presentations will be given by some of DePaul’s international students, those learning the Chinese language and faculty. The gala also includes a traditional lion dance, a performance by Jingjing Shi, an award-winning player of the guzheng, a Chinese string instrument, and a kung fu presentation by Bei Dou Kung Fu Chicago.

The event is free and open to the public, but online reservations are required. RSVP at http://bit.ly/19LMnwq.

The Chinese Studies Program is an interdisciplinary program in DePaul’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, offering a major and a minor in Chinese Studies and a minor in advanced-level Chinese language. The program offers English-taught courses on Chinese art, art history, business, communication, economy, history, political science, philosophy and psychology as well as four years of Chinese language classes. Additional information at http://bit.ly/1eenrth.