LEGENDS is more than a stage production — it is a community-powered cultural journey！
At Chang’e Flies to the Moon, SCCCA Board Chair Janie Tsao invited audiences to help choose next year’s LEGENDS story and co-create its next chapter.
Tsao quoted a line once shared on this stage: “Legends are extraordinary stories passed down for generations, while myths transcend time and shape the fabric of our culture.” That is the heart of Chang’e — not just an ancient myth, but a timeless memory of family, sacrifice, love, and hope.
Love Binds Legends Endure
Tsao recalled that as a child, these myths always ended with the sweet aroma of porridge.
As she grew older, she came to understand that what stayed with her most was seeing her mother’s five children, no matter where life took them, still bound together by the same love. That, she said, is a timeless legend.
As SCCCA approaches its 50th anniversary, Tsao noted that the Cultural Center’s greatest strength has never been its building, stage, or programs alone.
Its true strength lies in the people who bring it to life — performers, backstage teams, volunteers, parents, teachers, audiences, and sponsors. Together, they define what “community” truly means.
Community Shines Together We Rise
This year’s LEGENDS cast powerfully reflected that community spirit. Performers ranged from age 4 to 85, spanning children, teens, adults, and seniors.
Even on such a large stage, professional performers were only a small number; most came organically from the community, stepping into the spotlight through love, pride, and participation.
That is what makes LEGENDS so powerful: it gives people of all generations and backgrounds a place in the same story, bringing Chinese mythology to a mainstream stage together.
“Community means all of us — you, me, everyone here tonight, everyone around us, and all the teams backstage,” Tsao said. “Without all of you, there is no community, and there will be no LEGENDS.”
Stage United Culture Shared
Tsao also thanked supporters at every level, including Hoag, South Coast Plaza, Rady Children’s Health, the Huang Family Foundation, David Tsoong MD, WPM Foundation, and ALC/Sunstone.
She noted that their support offered more than vital resources — it gave the Center recognition, encouragement, and trust from the community.
This year’s Chang’e Flies to the Moon brought the Moon Goddess to life through music, dance, martial arts, aerial performance, and visual animation.
Looking ahead, audiences will help choose the next LEGENDS story through the QR code in the program booklet, with the most-supported story guiding the 2027 production.
Voices Join Moonlight Inspires
This choice makes LEGENDS more than a performance brand — it becomes a cultural platform owned by the community. Every audience member is not only a viewer, but a participant in the next legend.
Tsao hopes future LEGENDS stories, whatever their cultural roots, will touch people across languages and backgrounds. Truly great myths, she said, speak to universal feelings of courage, family, sacrifice, love, and hope.
In closing, Tsao thanked everyone who made the journey possible and invited the audience, after leaving the theater, to look up at the moon — perhaps to spot Chang’e or the Jade Rabbit.
In that moment, the myth returned to the night sky — and to every heart. As SCCCA approaches its 50th anniversary, its cultural journey continues through each generation’s participation, care, and legacy.