Recognizing the many Asian cultures represented on the ISU campus was the purpose of a heritage celebration held Tuesday afternoon.

AsiaTown, which was set up on central campus, showcased a variety of cultural artifacts. About 10 tables were decked with Vietnamese dolls dressed in traditional garb, wooden sandals that are still worn in Philippine villages, carved figurines of Buddha, authentic foods and intricate weavings.

One table was devoted to holding up a large, brightly colored dragon, an important part of Asian mythology, said Suong Phan, junior in marketing.

“It is a tradition for New Year’s. A dragon comes down for good luck,” she said. The dragon always has a horn in the middle of his head and does not come alone, she said.

Other items, such as the statues of Buddha, also have significance in some Asian cultures.

“A little Buddha will come along and bring good luck,” Phan said, adding that Buddha’s belly is supposed to be rubbed for good luck.

Another part of Asian culture on display was calligraphy. Jennifer Luk, sophomore in chemical engineering, was showcasing her talent for writing in Chinese.

“It is difficult to get the words pretty,” Luk said. It is the Chinese calligrapher who is always unhappy with how it looks, she said.

Luk said most of her requests are for names or to write “I love you.” This poses a problem because every Chinese word is its own character. Luk is able to write the names by imitating the sound or by writing the name based on its meaning.

Kumsan Song was the keynote speaker for AsiaTown. Song, who is developing a clinic in Des Moines for free Asian health care, said her objective is to create a culturally friendly clinic.

“It is up to you to ask the questions,” Song said. She emphasized that everyone has to be responsible for his or her own health care.

Pam Thomas, director of the Women’s Center, came out to join the festivities.

“I want to be supportive of the diversity on campus,” she said. After receiving a copy of her name written in Chinese figures, Thomas said, “I might get a tattoo of this.”