Children and families are invited to join Creative Discovery Museum for a spectacular celebration with color, tradition, and dance featuring the Chien Hong Lion Dance Troupe. On January 21, 2012, this Atlanta-based dance troupe will present two Lion Dance performances in the Museum Atrium. The dances will begin at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The Chien Hong School’s martial arts performing group will present a martial arts demonstration at 2:00 p.m. The group includes national and regional competitors and award winners in various martial arts contests in America and Taiwan R.O.C.

From noon to 4 p.m., the Museum will celebrate with additional festive activities including constructing paper lanterns, reading books about the Chinese New Year, and making miniature paper lions. Guests are also invited to view the temporary upstairs exhibit, Children of Hangzhou: Connecting with China. In this exciting exhibit, visitors will follow four children who live in Hangzhou, China through their daily lives at home, at school, in the library, in the theatre and in the countryside. Visitors will discover that Chinese life today mixes ancient traditions with modern lifestyles and that life in China is both similar to and different from life in North America.

The Chien Hong Lion Dance Troupe is based in Atlanta, Georgia and has been serving that area since the Chien Hong School of Kung Fu's opening in 1995. The troupe is the oldest continuously performing Lion Dance team in the area. Chien Hong School Wu Guan's Chinese martial arts performing group is formed by a group of expert martial artists and is the only martial arts team that emphasizes on-stage performances.

“Creative Discovery Museum’s Chinese New Year event is a special time for families to celebrate a cultural tradition while engaging in a rich and colorful arts experience,” states Liza Blair, Arts Manager at Creative Discovery Museum.

Activities and performances are free with admission to the Museum. For more information, visit www.cdmfun.org.