HCIS ushers in the Rabbit Year with Lo Hei luncheon

HCIS celebrated the 2023 Chinese New Year with a uniquely Chinese luncheon on February 2nd when members of the board, as well as all teachers, staff, and students, came together to 'Lo Hei' together!

This year's Lo Hei luncheon began with a traditional lion dance performance, sending well wishes to everyone in the new year. Following that is the highlight of the gathering - the 'Lo Hei' dish, a unique dish served only during the Chinese New Year. Every ingredient of the dish have auspicious connotations: julienned carrots and radishes brings good luck and youthfulness, salad oil represents incoming wealth, sour plum sauce sweetens your life, the treasures of the 5-spice powder, crispy chips are gold nuggets, all added to the profitability of sashimi-grade salmon; multi-coloured and perfectly plated together in a oversized dish. Everyone raises their chopsticks in anticipation, and dug into the dish, flinging bunches of the salad as high up as they can, laughing and shouting out auspicious Chinese wishes all at the same time. Such a joyous 'ruckus' is truly memorable for all of us!

As we continued to partake in the luncheon, HCIS students began to take on to the stage with their performances. There were modern dances, singing, San Ju Ban (三句半) and a rendition on the Chinese musical instrument Gu Zheng; one could say this is a balanced mix of both East and West. The event's guest of honour is the school's SMC vice chairman, Mr Lim Chee Kong, who was invited to also present prizes to the winners of our CNY Classroom Decoration Contest.

The Lo Hei is so much more than the sum of its ingredients, to us, it represents our hopes for 2023, that this would be a fruitful year for the entire school. We also want to extend these hopes and wishes to the Hwa Chong Family, be they students, teachers, staff, board members or alumni, that we can all pass on our Chinese cultural values to the next generation.

Finally, we wish everyone a blessed and joyous Year of the Rabbit.