Microsoft Chinese New Year Celebration

written by John Chow on January 23, 2011

The Microsoft Chinese New Year Celebration, also know as the Microsoft Asian Spring Festival, welcomes the coming of the Lunar new year. This year is the year of the rabbit. The festival is the largest diversity and inclusion event in Microsoft, as well as the biggest Spring Festival celebration in the Seattle area. Yes, the MS Chinese New Year event is bigger than any festival the city of Seattle can put on.

The event is a great way to learn and experience the diversified Asian cultures. The festival activities include Chinese calligraphy, Chinese drawing, stage performance and karaoke, photo booth, riddle competition, KINECT games, dancing, kid activities (bouncing house, face painting, magician, etc.) and many more.

The evening grand celebration show is a blend of eastern and western culture, art, music, and fashion. There was a multi-cultural fashion show, bilingual rap performed by Xiao-Chuan Yang, Microsoft’s Got Talent, Talk Show by North American Brother Sway (北美崔哥脱口秀), Bollywood dance by Nalini and The Blue Lotus Dance Co., Symphonic Music by Chinese traditional and Western classical instruments (国乐大合奏) and more.

While there were tons of things to do at the MS Chinese New Year Celebration, I was there for one purpose and that was to get Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to sign my Apple iPad. Unfortunately, Steve didn’t stick around after his pep talk so I failed to get my iPad signed. My consolation prize was watching the MS Bing team sing Amazing Bing to the tune of Amazing Grace.

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{ 40 comments }

Kirk Taylor January 23, 2011 at 8:13 am

Interesting event. Too bad you didn’t get your ipad signed. As crazy as he was acting, he just might of signed it.

Email List Building January 23, 2011 at 11:59 am

Hey John,

Does Seattle have a bigger Chinatown than Vancouver? I don’t think so but I’m not sure.

The celebration must have been fun. As for Bing I wonder about how amazing they think they are. Their market share is quite pityful.

I’m sure you’ll get the signature eventually.

Michael Kwan January 23, 2011 at 12:59 pm

To my knowledge, Vancouver still has the second largest Chinatown in North America (San Francisco has the biggest)… unless you count about 1/3 of Richmond.

d3so January 23, 2011 at 4:55 pm: The only chinatown i’ve been to is the one in downtown LA. I’ve been to San Fran. a few times but never it’s chinatown. Definitely a destination next time I go.

John Chow January 23, 2011 at 5:48 pm

Vancouver’s Chinatown is for sure bigger than Seattle’s. In fact Seattle’s Chinatown is not even call Chinatown. It’s call the “International District”.

d3so January 23, 2011 at 4:56 pm

He was acting pretty crazy with that gong and the dragons haha.

John Chow January 23, 2011 at 5:50 pm: That’s Steve Ballmer for ya. At least he didn’t do what he did at this event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsboPUjrGc

Roseli A. Bakar January 23, 2011 at 8:17 am

Gong Xi Fa Chai John.

May the coming Chinese New Year bring health and wealth for you.

Are you giving any ang pow to your blog reader ??

Allen Walker January 23, 2011 at 9:48 am

Yeah, John. You should.

LOL.

d3so January 23, 2011 at 5:11 pm: I agree, I haven’t received one since i was in 2nd grade because we had a Chinese teacher.

Dutch Oven Dan January 23, 2011 at 8:57 am

You would have thought the Bing Team could have been a little more creative…

d3so January 23, 2011 at 5:12 pm

Just changing one word isn’t really creative. I bet google would’ve done a better job.

Human Development January 24, 2011 at 7:43 am: Yeah I am agree with your words and adding the same
that they were performing more than creativity.

Abhik January 23, 2011 at 10:22 am

lol!! You want a Apple product to be signed by the CEO of Microsoft?

d3so January 23, 2011 at 5:15 pm

why not? you know how john is. very mischievous.

Lakhyajyoti January 24, 2011 at 9:04 pm: I also want a ipad signed by Microsoft SEO.

dg January 23, 2011 at 12:56 pm

Ask Steve Ballmer to sign an iPad? At an Apple social event some employee jokingly asked Steve Jobs “when will iCal work better with MS Outlook?”. Jobs walked away, then walked back and said “you’re fired” (no joke) then immediately had the man escorted off the Apple campus.

Does the Bing team remind anyone else of a cult? Or special ed kids doing a school performance?

Bradley Nordstrom January 23, 2011 at 1:46 pm

Ya never knew Microsoft was so kid-friendly.Also pretty cool Bing song.

,Bradley Nordstrom

d3so January 23, 2011 at 5:13 pm: Well, it looks like they did what they could to accommodate kids during this event.

Make Money Online January 23, 2011 at 1:49 pm

Sounds like anice place to be at, and too bad that you didn’t get yout iPad signed.

Bash Bosh January 23, 2011 at 3:37 pm

Its too bad you didn’t get that iPad signed by Microsoft CEO. This is a thing I would like to try too Good one indeed! That would be the greatest iPad ever!!!

d3so January 23, 2011 at 5:14 pm

I bet it would sell for a good amount on ebay and generate press as well.

Lakhyajyoti January 24, 2011 at 9:10 pm: Yeah..We can sell that on ebay for good amount..

Energia January 23, 2011 at 5:03 pm

Although I am from Portugal, I know chinatown (NY). I don’t know chinatown from San Francisco or Canada but this one from NY I really thing is big enough.

Penny Bid Auction Sites January 23, 2011 at 5:33 pm

Amazing Bing sung to Amazing Grace, that’s blasphemy!

Abhinav Kaiser January 23, 2011 at 7:23 pm

Bollywood music in a Chinese festival is like an Italian restaurant serving nachos… Nevertheless, it adds to the vigor!

shanker bakshi January 23, 2011 at 9:32 pm

Now who says Microsoft don’t have taste?

Human Development January 24, 2011 at 7:49 am: I think they proved there word …

aeroporika eisitiria January 24, 2011 at 3:34 am

Rolf i doubt Balmer would sign an Apple Product

Perhaps you should have a Microsoft tablet or something

Although Balmer seems to hate Google more haha

GTA 5 January 24, 2011 at 6:33 am

Woohoo it’s really impressive, thanks for sharing this great video!

fas January 24, 2011 at 7:28 am

Why would you want to get an ipad signed by a Microsoft employee?

John Chow January 25, 2011 at 10:07 am: Just for the irony of it all!

ikki January 24, 2011 at 6:05 pm

great event

PPC Ian January 24, 2011 at 8:35 pm

Looks like a great celebration. Happy Chinese New Year! It seems like Microsoft is always doing something great.

nintendo 3ds January 25, 2011 at 3:08 am

Interesting, Seattle’s Chinatown is called International district eh. Didn’t know that I would get to know something about culture on your blog John. Cheers

Rich Student January 25, 2011 at 11:48 am

Happy Chinese New Year John, that Steve guy looks crazy haha. I’m not really a fan of amazing bing..

Lunarpages Review February 1, 2011 at 9:26 am

The chinese way of celebrating new year was funny and great. Nice video.

Neon SRT4 February 2, 2011 at 7:29 am

Nice Video. China People celebrations are excellent.

Make Money Online February 10, 2011 at 5:51 pm

thats crazy stuff, chinese people have quite crazy celebrations.

Spy On Any Cell Phone February 14, 2011 at 12:03 pm

Hmmmm, I lived in Seattle for a long time and never knew this was the biggest celebration. I thought it was my 5th row seats to the Stones at the old Kingdome.