Concordia’s Chinese Club kicked off the 2023 school year on a high note after receiving an eye-catching donation. Pictured above is a handmade arch that Cassandra Sternitzky ’27 and her father, Josh Sternitzky, spent several weeks making over the summer break.
Cassandra, a Chinese and international business major, and her father crafted the 8-foot arch by tracing the patterns they designed onto plywood, cutting pieces out using a jigsaw, and then assembling them by gluing and stapling them together. Then they sanded and rounded the edges, filled holes from staples and imperfections in the wood, and finally painted it. As the arch was being built, they worked to make sure that it was something that would make a statement but also be portable and practical for moving purposes.
The idea came from Cassandra’s high school graduation party. She had decided she wanted a Chinese theme for her party and found she needed a centerpiece for attendees to take pictures in front of, so she made a rough version of the current arch from cardboard for her party. After the party, she realized that building a more permanent version of this arch would be a great addition to the Chinese Club’s materials, so she enlisted her father’s help, and got to work with the planning and preparations.
The arch’s design may be more commonly known from a very similar structure in Japanese culture, a Torii gate, but arches like this are also found in Chinese-speaking cultures. In Chinese culture, these gates are called 牌楼 (páilóu) or 牌坊 (páifāng). One cultural difference between Japanese Torii gates and the Páilóu gates is that the Páilóu are often decorated with art such as dragons and Chinese calligraphy. They are used to mark and honor important spaces, as well as for decoration, and can range from being very simple in their decoration and construction to very ornate and complex.
The Chinese Club members are excited to use its new donation at upcoming events, displaying it at celebrations and activities throughout the year in different spaces. The club plans to bring it along for tabling events as well, to help make a statement and attract attention to the club.
Both the Chinese Club and members of the department of World Languages and Cultures are very grateful for this generous donation of time and effort.
Written by Emma Skuza ’22, World Languages and Cultures administrative assistant