Clubs and groups are an essential part of campus life—they offer students a place to connect with their peers, experience new activities, and generally just have a good time. With everything from politics to beekeeping to athletics, there’s a club for everyone. TUCSA, also known as Trent University Chinese Student Association, is the club for Chinese students and those who wish to learn more about Chinese culture. I sat down with TUCSA’s President, Victoria Wong, to talk about the club. Victoria is a CBC (Canadian-born Chinese) Trent student in her fourth year studying Business Administration, and specializing in Human Resources. This is her first year as President of TUCSA. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous members of TUCSA left, and the executive team graduated. Victoria noticed in her third year that there was not a lot of celebration of Chinese culture on campus, and she decided she wanted to promote Chinese culture. Victoria recreated TUCSA along with other executive members, including Vice President Haomin, Internal Affairs Director Yuhan, Treasurer Jiacheng, Director of Events Planning William, Event Coordinator Jia, and other student representatives. 

TUCSA has previously held several successful events on Symons campus, including the Mid-Autumn festival, movie nights, and Tang Yuan making. Average attendance for these events were thirty to thirty-five people. I attended the Mid-Autumn Festival and Tang Yuan making. The Mid-Autumn Festival was also run in association with Trent International Student Association (TISA), and was TUCSA’s first event since the start of COVID. Because of this, TUCSA wanted to take precautions and thus had limited attendance, with tickets available to be bought in advance. The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Chinese Autumn Moon Festival, is an important Chinese festival that celebrates when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, at harvest time in the middle of Autumn. To celebrate, paper lanterns are lit to symbolize prosperity and good fortune, and mooncakes traditionally filled with bean paste or salted egg yolk are divided and eaten. The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates Chang'e, the Chinese goddess of the moon. The Mid-Autumn event showcased a traditional-modern Chinese dance and a photo area where students could try on hanfus, which are traditional Chinese dresses. 

Other events hosted by TUCSA included a movie night, featuring the Chinese animated movie, White Snake (2019), which was sponsored by Bobo Tea. Bobo Tea became TUCSA’s sponsor with lots of thanks to William, TUCSA’s Director of Event Planning. Bobo Tea is located on 154 Charlotte Street and is open Mondays-Wednesdays. TUCSA also hosted a Tang Yuan making event. Tang Yuan is a Chinese dessert commonly eaten during the Lantern Festival and other important events such as weddings, as it symbolizes togetherness and reunion. Tang Yuan is made from glutinous rice balls, with sweet or savoury fillings such as black sesame, crushed peanuts, or minced meat. 

As for any future events, Victoria was tight-lipped. She said that TUCSA has conducted most of their events for the fall semester, but are aiming to host events for Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year. The Spring Festival marks a new year on the lunar calendar, and the upcoming year is the Year of the Rabbit. The Spring Festival lasts for several days, and includes Chinese New Year’s Eve on January 21st, 2023, and the Lantern Festival on February 5th, 2023. The date of the Spring Festival changes every year, falling on a new moon day, after the winter solstice. As for the upcoming events, Victoria did drop hints that the events would be showcasing local student talent. Victoria emphasized that she wanted to do more events to promote Chinese culture that help to support the Chinese community at Trent. 

When asked why TUCSA is important, Victoria replied that it is vital for students to be involved in campus life, to have a place to belong and a sense of community. She says that TUCSA is a space for Chinese students and people interested in Chinese culture to get together to celebrate and learn about Chinese culture and traditions. She also mentioned how TUCSA helps promote multiculturalism at Trent, and that while the Chinese community at Trent is small, it is still important to have a space for students. As TUCSA is an official club at Trent, the club receives official support and funding from the University to promote activities and events. In this way, TUCSA works to advocate for more resources and support for Chinese students at Trent. When asked about diversity here on campus, Victoria said that while the Chinese community at Trent is small, it is important for us to connect with each other and to have a safe space. And as TUCSA is a cultural club, it helps to promote Chinese culture and bring about cultural awareness. 

As for the future of the club, Victoria hopes to keep it going, to host more events that help students, and to make more connections and friendships. The main point Victoria emphasizes was not wanting Chinese students to feel alone on campus, and that she hopes TUCSA will help build those connections between students across cultural differences.

So, if you’re thinking of joining the club or going to any events, whether you are part of the Chinese community or just want to learn more about Chinese culture, all are welcome. 

You can follow TUCSA and keep up with all their awesome events on their Instagram: @TUCSA2022.