HOUSTON, Jan. 28 -- A high school in Houston, U.S. state of Texas, held a Chinese New Year celebration on Monday with students performing in Mandarin Chinese.

Nearly 200 students and teachers from Strake Jesuit College Preparatory attended the event that featured dragon and lion dance, stage play, Chinese calligraphy and Chinese food.

During the celebration, a bronze statue of Italian priest Matteo Ricci was unveiled and dedicated to the school by local Chinese sculptor Willy Wang.

In 1601, Matteo Ricci entered the Forbidden City in Beijing, the then Chinese imperial palace, opening up a path for East-West cultural exchange that many people set foot on.

The highlight of the celebration was a playlet "Journey West and Matteo Ricci" written and performed by 13 students and their Chinese language teacher.

Having studied Peking Opera in Beijing for four years, the Chinese language teacher, Ione Meyer, can speak fluent Chinese and has been teaching at the school for eight years. She told Xinhua that she has more than 130 students this year.

"For the first grade (high school) students, I introduce Chinese tea tasting to them. For the second graders, I ask them to try Chinese food and the third graders can even cook some Chinese dishes," Meyer said.

She believes combining cultural study with language learning is a good way for the students to better understand China and enjoy the Chinese culture with their friends and family.

"Some students want to do business with China or even work in China in the future. I hope they can use what they have learned in high school," she said. Enditem