For the first time at Ohio University, Chinese students are sharing their culture through an organized week of activities.

The Chinese Student and Scholar Association is organizing Chinese Culture Week, which begins Saturday and runs through Oct. 3. The week will highlight the culture of more than 300 international OU students.

"The single largest number of international students at OU come from China, so that shows how important it is to learn about their cultural diversity," said Josep Rota, director of the Center for International Studies at OU.

The week will begin with a full-moon night party at Ping Center and will also include a movie night, speeches, a sport day and a seminar on cultural exchange.

Jing Tian, a second-year student who has studied at OU for one year, is the chair of Chinese Culture Week for CSSA. She said the big draw for the week is Saturday's opening ceremony.

"We expect there to be about 400 people in the audience," she said. "During the party we will have some Chinese food - especially mooncake because that is the Chinese special. We also will have Chinese traditional musical instruments, a tai-ji performance and games."

CSSA members want to enhance cultural understanding, adjustment and exchange through Chinese Culture Week, said Hongwei Wang, a third-year OU student and president of CSSA.

"You know, even for us we can understand our culture further in a new environment," he said. "It is rewarding for Chinese students themselves so they can learn how to adjust to this new society."

Rota said it is important to expose OU students, faculty and community members to Chinese culture because many people never will travel to China.

"The Chinese culture is one of the oldest, one of the richest, one of the most complex cultures in the world," he said. "I think it is very important for our students in order to have a well-rounded education and understanding of culture, society and the world we live in and to be able to be exposed to the Chinese culture."

Wang said the week has been in planning since summer.

"It is our common objective to finish this activity that will describe and express our love for Chinese culture," Wang said. "OU really provides a good environment to exchange our culture with American culture. We want to express our love for our country, our motherland."