By: Jocelyn Ming
Under the great shade of the U.S. Capitol building, crowded lines of white tents rest on Pennsylvania Avenue. Spectators from the National Gallery of Art lean over the glass ledge of its rooftop floor to get a good look at what’s below…
8/30/2025 9:27 AM. As soon as I make the turn off of Constitution Avenue, I am greeted with the hustle and bustle of the Annual Washington Chinese Cultural Festival. In the brisk, early morning, stall managers rush to set up their various attractions. The stall closest to me sets up incense and mooncakes while a group in white robes stands in the middle of the road, practicing the art of meditative Tai Chi. One man is frantically trying to set up his cultural photographs as they tilt and topple in the breeze.
As a reporter for CYOC – an organization that supports youth volunteering – I am tasked with documenting activities and interviewing festival-goers throughout the day. Other volunteers help set up neighboring stalls, pass out stickers and brochures, or use washable paint to decorate the faces of visitors.
The crowds fluctuate around lunch time. Everyone is excited to purchase a piece of the smoky aroma floating around the food stalls. Every bite of my own lunch – chicken fried rice provided by the organization – reminds me of my rowdy childhood. Fried rice was always a classic meal, along the same lines as Kraft mac n cheese.
In between hunting down more drool-worthy foods and enjoying the parade from the Art Gallerys terrace, my fellow volunteer, Callie, and I begin a mission to interview a diverse crowd of passersbys. Most respond to our questions about “favorite stalls” and “favorite attraction” with a simple “food was good”, but interspersed in these valid comments were some real heavy hitters. In response to a question about the festivals impact, Leiliah McCaine said, “China is such a huge country… there’s lots of diversity within it and especially in the DMV area we have a lot of Chinese… so I think this festival is a really great place for people all over the DMV to come together and celebrate their shared culture even though we’re not in China.”
Later in the day, I found parallels of this message echoed in the speech given by the Ambassador of China to the United States, Xie Feng. Even in the stifling and hot assembly of listeners, photographers, and security guards, his message was well-heard; among highlighting the enchanting cultural experiences shared among the Chinese, he seeks to bridge a deep political divide between two nations, stating, “Love for others, honesty, and justice are not only in the DNA of the Chinese nation, but also deep rooted American values.
Filled with bright costume colors, the sound of drums beating, and the giggles of a crowd watching stumbling participants in the bamboo pole dance; the festival of 2025 was a huge success!
Website Editor: Lily Xu
华府青年 CYOC 
You must be logged in to post a comment.