Two lovers from different social classes celebrate their 50th anniversary and recall their trials and tribulations from the day they met to the present in “Wedding Invitation,” a play representing their culture, at the Hong Kong Students Association’s fourth annual Hong Kong Night held Sunday.
The event began with a traditional Chinese dinner of fried rice and noodles, pork, chicken and tofu made by HKSA members. The group also served a vegetarian dish made from deep fried soy beans and tofu, along with coconut pudding for dessert. For beverages the group served a sweetened tea, mixed with condensed milk, which is often found in cafés that cater to Hong Kong’s middle class, Co-Director Wilbur Lee said.
University student Tomoko Shimazaki said that because she is an international student at the University who just recently came from Japan, she has been missing Chinese food.
“The Chinese food in Eugene is good, but this meal is so much better,” she said.
Lee said HKSA had some of their ingredients for the food imported from Vancouver, British Columbia, Seattle and Hong Kong.
“There are some places in Portland to buy the ingredients we needed, but it’s much more expensive and harder to find,” Lee said. “We actually had some of our members ask their parents in Hong Kong to send us ingredients.”
After the dinner, 11 HKSA members performed the play “Wedding Invitation.” Suet Chan and Gary Lau play the married couple; their characters’ names in the play, Ar Ping and Sun-To, are derived from their own real Chinese names. The play begins with the couple’s 50th anniversary and takes a glimpse into their past.

“The play is supposed to represent different periods of history in Hong Kong, Chinese traditions and cultural perspectives specifically related to Hong Kong,” HKSA public relations officer Winnie Leung said.
Leung said in Hong Kong, traditionally, the groom’s parents pay for the wedding’s costs — in this play, the groom comes from a poor family, while the bride’s family is wealthy.
“The groom in the play can simply not afford the kind of wedding that the bride’s family is asking for, and this is a common problem in the Chinese culture,” Leung said.
Leung said the attire in the play also represents Chinese traditions. The bride wears a red wedding dress because the color means good luck, and is often worn in special occasions.
HKSA member Macy Chan sang “Sweet, Sweet Love,” which is a traditional love song about a girl serenading a boy she just met.
“The feeling of the song is very sweet, and I chose it because my performance comes after the scene when the couple is quarreling,” she said. “After I perform, the couple forgives each other.”
Chan said although the song has the tone of an innocent young girl, she portrays the traditional female singer found in Chinese night clubs.
HKSA members Kevin Gui, Jonathan Fung and Julian Fok performed a rap number, “1127,” in the play. The song is a dedication to Bruce Lee, and the numbers, 1127, indicate the date of his death.
“Bruce Lee is famous in Hong Kong, and this is a fun song that tells us that we should not look down upon ourselves,” Fung said.