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This year, the traditional Mid-autumn Festival fell on September 29. Before that special day, on September 27, a celebration event was held at the hall of the School of International Culture for domestic and international students at SCNU.
The event was held to celebrate the Mid-autumn Festival, while helping international students learn more about the traditional festival and its cultural background. Faculty members of the School of International Culture and domestic and international students were invited to the celebration.
Four postgraduate students of Grade 2023, Chen Yalu, Li Lanxin, Tan Lingqing and Miu Ling, performed traditional Chinese dance in the warm-up session. Accompanied by the song Prelude to Water Melody, an ancient poem which is often recited or chanted during the mid-autumn festival, they showed the rich historical and cultural connection between the festival and Chinese people, presenting the charm of traditional Chinese culture with the grace in their performance.
The ending pose of the warm-up dance.
Professor Zuo Pengjun, dean of the School of International Culture, gave a speech and sent festival greetings to all faculty and students on behalf of the school. The event was held for the first time in three years: "we have waited for a reunion for so long. It is high time that we cheered for the deep and charming traditional Chinese culture and feel proud of the great achievements our country has made in recent years. Also, we feel glad that international students have come to join in cultural exchange and make progress together," Zuo said.
Zuo ended his talk with the invitation that all read two famous lines written by the poets Zhang Jiuling of the Tang dynasty and Su Shi of the Song dynasty, to convey blessing to our families: "Over the sea grows the moon bright; we gaze on it far, far apart." "So let us wish that man will like long as he can! Though miles apart, we'll share the beauty she displays."
Zuo Pengjun (in the middle) and other faculty members greet the guests and students present.
The following session featured the introduction of four different mooncake flavours: red lotus paste with double egg yolks, white lotus paste with double egg yolks, sweet bean paste with double egg yolks, and fruit. Round mooncakes were the symbols of the Mid-autumn Festival, because roundness symbolizes completeness and togetherness in Chinese culture. All participants were given mooncakes to eat and enjoyed them together.
The hostesses are introducing four types of mooncakes.
Grace is a freshman at the School of International Culture from Indonesia. She and her companions were pleased to receive the mooncakes. "One of my friends told me there would be a lot of free mooncakes here, so we came over," she explained. She also mentioned the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations in Indonesia, which are not as grand as the ones in China. Therefore, she was excited to meet new people and taste free mooncakes during the event.
Grace (the second from the left) and her friends.
Two international students show the mooncakes they were given.
Jaffar Mohammed from Saudi Arabia said he was impressed by the performance. "I enjoyed this event because I love Chinese culture. I love everything in China, especially the celebrations of Chinese culture. So I like to take part in this event along with Chinese people."
Jaffar Mohammed (right) and his friend Zaid Saleh from Saudi Arabia.
Source from the School of International Culture
Written by Huang Linlin, Lin Yingtong, Luo Xiaoying
Proofread by Edwin Baak
Edited by Wang Yingmin
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