Ten Years Together, Five Editions of ‘Artistic Splendor’: A Legacy of Culture on the CUAAASC Stage

LAPost/San Dimas, CA (Sept. 5, 2026)
By: Richard Ren/LAPost

When the stage lights came up, alumni dressed as the legendary heroes of Liangshan entered one by one to the sound of suona horns. Dancers brought scenes from the streets of Los Angeles onto the stage. And a spoken drama about a mother and daughter, and the changing roles of caregiver and cared-for, prompted many first-generation immigrants in the audience to recognize pieces of their own lives.

On the evening of Sept. 5, the Chinese University Alumni Association Alliance of Southern California (CUAAASC) presented the fifth edition of its annual Artistic Splendor gala at the Bonita Center for the Arts in San Dimas.

More than 200 alumni from universities and alumni associations across Southern California took part in the performances, while more than 50 volunteers worked behind the scenes. The theater’s more than 700 seats were nearly filled, with applause and cheers continuing throughout the evening.

This year’s performance carried particular significance. CUAAASC is marking its 10th anniversary, while Artistic Splendor has reached its fifth edition.

“Ten years is a milestone, and five editions are a legacy,” said Chen Yong, president of CUAAASC.

Over the past decade, Chen said, the alliance has grown from an effort centered on bringing alumni together into a broader platform jointly supported by 88 member alumni associations.

Yet the core purpose has remained the same, he said: serving alumni associations and their members, supporting one another and maintaining a spirit of cooperation.

“We often say that the alliance builds the stage, and the alumni associations put on the show,” Chen said. “Artistic Splendor is the most vivid expression of that idea.”

This year’s production also took a different approach to staging. Rather than relying on hosts to introduce each performance, the program titles and performer information appeared on a large screen. The result was a more continuous flow, with fewer interruptions between performances and smoother transitions between different artistic styles.

The program itself moved between traditional Chinese culture and contemporary expression.

In “The Song of the Heroes,” performed by the Sun Yat-sen University Alumni Association of Southern California, alumni transformed themselves into characters from Water Margin, one of China’s classic novels. Dressed as the Liangshan heroes and accompanied by suona music, performers introduced their characters through costumes, movement and theatrical gestures.

The contemporary dance “Street Corner” took a different approach, bringing the everyday rhythms of Los Angeles into the theater. Through movement and choreography, the dancers evoked familiar city scenes and the people who inhabit them.

“Role Reversal,” a spoken drama about a mother and daughter, touched on a reality familiar to many immigrant families. After three decades of change, the roles of caregiver and cared-for gradually switch. For many first-generation immigrants in the audience, that shift in family responsibilities was not simply a theatrical idea.

Traditional Chinese arts remained an important part of the program. Classical dances including “Lotus in Splendor,” “Moon Over Xiangshan” and “A Thousand Miles Along the River” shared the stage with contemporary pieces such as “Autumn” and “The Fan Hides Spring.” “Carmen” and a Latin dance interpretation of “Mulan” further expanded the evening’s artistic range.

Young Chinese American performers, including children of alumni, also appeared throughout the evening — at the opening, during the program and at the finale.

For an organization built around university alumni, those younger performers represented more than the next generation of entertainers. They offered a visible reminder of the cultural continuity that the alliance hopes to foster.

“We are not professional performers, but we give everything we have”

Li Shan, director of the alliance’s arts department and executive chair of this year’s Artistic Splendor, said the most important people on the stage were not any particular performers or individual acts, but the alumni who had chosen to step into the spotlight.

She dedicated her tribute to what she called “the most admirable dreamers” of the evening — the alumni performers.

“We do not have professional backgrounds,” Li said. “What we have is a pure passion for dance, for singing and for the stage.”

The performers came from different universities and professions. Some had little recent experience onstage; others rehearsed around demanding jobs and family responsibilities. They may not have had the formal training of professional performers, but that was precisely what gave the evening its character: ordinary people coming together to create something extraordinary for their community.

“Our performances may have imperfections, but every person gave 100 percent of their sincerity,” Li said.

For her, the experience was about more than putting on a show.

“On this stage, we are not simply performing art,” she said. “We are giving everything we have to meet the best version of ourselves.”

That commitment, she said, was the spirit most worth remembering.

And there was another group just as important as those onstage: the audience.

“Across mountains and rivers, we are fortunate to have you,” Li said.

The audience’s attention and applause, she said, were the best destination for all the hours of rehearsal and effort.

“The focus in your eyes and the warmth in your applause are the most meaningful home for all the sweat we shed tonight,” she said.

She closed her remarks with a line in English:

“A show will come to an end, but our passion never fades.”

The lights may eventually go down, but for Li, the passion behind the performance does not end with the curtain.

Li said CUAAASC has sought since its founding to create a welcoming and inclusive community for alumni. Alumni associations provide the foundation, while clubs and activities organized through the alliance offer additional opportunities for connection, creativity and participation.

“Alumni associations build the bonds of friendship, while clubs expand possibilities,” she said.

That philosophy was reflected on the stage. Alumni of different ages, professions and educational backgrounds came together through a shared interest in dance, music, theater and performance. Some had years of experience; many simply found time to rehearse after work and family obligations.

It is also what has allowed a community stage dominated by nonprofessional performers to continue into its fifth edition.

Behind the performances was another group of people who rarely appeared in the spotlight: more than 50 volunteers who helped with organization, stage operations, rehearsals and audience services.

Sophie, associate director of the gala, thanked the sponsors, organizing committee members and volunteers on behalf of the production team. Their work behind the scenes, she said, has allowed Artistic Splendor to continue from one edition to the next and gradually become a recognizable cultural event within Southern California’s Chinese American community.

The event was organized by CUAAASC and co-hosted by the Sun Yat-sen University Alumni Association of Southern California, the Los Angeles Alumni Association of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, the U.S. Alumni Association of Shenzhen University, the Guangxi University Alumni Association of Southern California and the Peking University Alumni Association of Southern California.

Shaobo Qiu, CEO of Meichengda Immigration & Education Group and an alumnus of Sun Yat-sen University and South China University of Technology, was the gala’s gold sponsor.

Qiu described Artistic Splendor as a signature CUAAASC event that combines artistic appeal with a strong sense of community.

“It not only gives audiences an appreciation of beauty, but also provides the Southern California Chinese American community with a stage to showcase talent, share emotions and build connections,” Qiu said.

For an alumni alliance that has now crossed its first decade, that may be the deeper significance of Artistic Splendor.

Ten years ago, the alliance began with the simple idea of bringing people together. Today, 88 alumni associations participate in the network. Over five editions, a one-night cultural performance has gradually become part of a larger community tradition.

The performances end. The lights go down. But the connections created around the stage continue.

Chen said the alliance’s next gathering is already on the calendar. On Oct. 11, CUAAASC will host a thousand-person family picnic at Songzhu Garden, inviting alumni to bring their families and friends.

For Li, however, the lasting image of the fifth Artistic Splendor may not be any single performance or the volume of applause.

It may simply be the sight of more than 200 alumni stepping onto a stage together, giving their time, energy and passion to something larger than themselves.

The show will end. The passion will not.