MOCATalks: Chinese Almanac—Year of the Rat with Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith
Where: Museum of Chinese in America
215 Centre St.
212-619-4785 Price: $15
Buy tickets/get more info now
See other events in these categories:
Authors Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith join us to translate and decode the almanac’s predictions with daily listings for 2020, the Year of the Rat. The Rat is the first of all 12 zodiac animals. Come learn about the myth of how the Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride and then jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first as they arrived at the Jade Emperor’s party.
The program is moderated by Nancy Yao Maasbach, MOCA President.
Tickets are $15 and include wine and Museum admission.
About the Book
The traditional Chinese almanac, also known as the Tong Sing or Huang Li, is a centuries-old repository of cultural information from household tips to general medical remedies. But it’s the almanac’s predictions of which days are auspicious or ominous for a wide range of activities that has made the annual publication a mainstay in Chinese homes.
About the Authors
Joanna C. Lee is a recovering pianist with a doctorate in musicology from Columbia University. An active translator and interpreter, she has served such luminaries as former US President Jimmy Carter, film directors Luc Besson and Peter Greenaway, and Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan.
Ken Smith writes about Asian arts and culture for the Financial Times and other publications. He is the author of Fate! Luck! Chance! …the Making of The Bonesetter’s Daughter Opera. He speaks Chinese fluently, in many different dialects.
Buy tickets/get more info now