Year of the Ox

The Lunar New Year is a celebration my family and I have always recognized. One of my earliest and favorite memories of the Lunar New Year was at my Popo’s (grandma) house when she still lived in the US. She had made dumplings stuffed with the juiciest pairings of pork with leek and shrimp with mushroom. But the best part was, she had wrapped a coin inside random dumplings to symbolize luck and good fortune. Of course we had to be careful when eating, but it made the dinner more worthwhile and delicious. Each individual nibble was filled with excitement to see who would be the “luckiest” of the evening.

Every Lunar New Year I reminisce on that memory. I remember the excitement my cousins and I felt anticipating my grandma’s delicious food, but more importantly, receiving the glistening Red Envelope at the end of the evening. My cousins and I would excitedly chant, “Gong Xi Fa Cai, Hong Bao Na Lai” to the adults - eager to see the amount we would receive. As a child, you think receiving money is the best feeling in the world, but looking back, it was the togetherness of our families - the ability to all spend time together, eat well, and celebrating a tradition year after year with well wishes of warmth, prosperity and love.

I wanted to commemorate this Lunar New Year by illustrating a scarf encapsulating these memories and cultural traditions with a blend of my American upbringing. Behind the rodeo bucking cowboy, the words “Gong Xi Fa Cai” are emblazoned behind, with little lanterns twinkling in the background. The bull-riding cowboy is not only a nod to a stereotypical reference of being from Texas, but also, my family’s favorite tourist attraction to showcase whenever relatives from Taiwan would come and visit. Additionally, the scarf’s price reflects a well known “angel”number. This number symbolizes positive change, alongside success, abundance, and prosperity.

This design was made to celebrate the pride I feel being a child of immigrant parents; the pride I feel knowing I have the opportunity and privilege to continue experiencing my Chinese heritage, whilst living in a place I recognize as home - although it may sometimes reject me.

For this Lunar New Year, I’m wishing everyone a healthy, wealthy, and ever so prosperous Year of the Ox. Alongside well wishes, I am pledging to donate 20% of the proceeds made from this scarf to two organizations, Stop AAPI Hate and RAICES (The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services), that I believe are helping and positively changing the lives of minorities in the community.


🧧Packaged in its own red envelope from me to you 🧧

Sustainably printed and produced

Material: Silk, Polyester Blend

Size: 70cm x 70cm; 27.5in x 27.5 in