Aloha! My name is Rowan Mei Li Elise Drowns, and I am honored to be participating in the 2026 Narcissus Pageant.

The mission of the Narcissus Pageant is to celebrate and preserve our Chinese heritage. The Pageant offers participants opportunities to explore Chinese traditions such as Chinese medicine, paper cutting, martial arts, genealogy research, and the history of Chinese in Hawai‘i.

This experience has been deeply meaningful to me as a fifth-generation Chinese American, offering a chance to connect more deeply with my family’s origins and cultural identity. It has been an incredible experience thus far!

The Narcissus Pageant has been an integral part of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s Narcissus Festival activities since 1949, with the Narcissus flower being an auspicious symbol of rebirth and good fortune for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

At the culmination of the Chinese New Year & Narcissus Festival celebrations, a Narcissus Pageant queen and court are selected to embark on an annual goodwill tour to visit various cities in mainland China as cultural ambassadors for the State of Hawaii.

It is my dream to be a part of this very meaningful tour, not only to represent our Hawaii-China family and cross cultural connection, but to have the opportunity to visit the village of our great-great-great grandparents in China will be an invaluable experience not only for me, but for my Hawaii Chinese family as well.

The 2026 Narcissus Pageant will be held at the Hawai‘i Theatre on January 11, 2026.

I would like to graciously ask for your support to help me through my pageant journey. Your donations, big or small, will help me with Pageant-related expenses and help me to shine on stage!

多謝你 Do Je Nei (Thank you very much)!

With gratitude and love,

Rowan