First Chinese New Year as Australians

 

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In return she is exposed to a whole new variety of western music - including swing and blues songs - not common in her home country.

"I feel very good about it, because the repertoires are very different from what I teach in China - there are so many different varieties of music. I'm really happy to learn it here and teach them here," says Lujia.

The couple have gradually adjusted to the customs and social norms of their adopted country.

One thing that Lujia particularly noticed was the way westerners affectionately greet one another.

"[In Australia] when friends meet each other, they hug and kiss. In Chinese culture it's not very common [unless] maybe in a group of young people when they know each other really well."

"[In China] if I hug male friends it's very weird, it's very strange, we don't do that, but here you can hug your friends no matter if they are male or female," she says.

Another instance was when their 84-year-old neighbour insisted she call her by her first name, something that would be unheard of in Chinese culture.

"I told my mum about my neighbour and my mum said, 'Aren't you rude? You call her by name, you should call her Grannie.' But that's not what we do here, we just call each other by name. You feel like each other are all equal," says Lujia.

One of the things the couple yearns for the most is the pleasure of Chinese cooking.

"The Chinese food is brilliant. There are so many varieties and cuisines. We miss them very much," says Dong.

The couple say it can be difficult to find their favourite Chinese dishes in regional areas, so on visits to Sydney they'll stock up on ingredients for their home-cooked meals.

As time goes by, the couple are starting to appreciate the local tastes on offer.

"The more Australian food I eat, the more I like it. Like before I don't drink wine, and my friend introduce wine to me and I start to like it," says Lujia.

Lujia and Dong will celebrate their first Chinese New Year as Australian citizens by entertaining friends with customs and cuisines from their home country.

They'll be cooking up some traditional dishes but they're also willing to accommodate their guests' tastes.

"We can do dumplings and an Aussie style barbecue. A bit of a mix," says Dong.