GCI Successfully Co-organized Chinese Cultural Day Groningen 2018

Published on 18.05.2018

On 18th May, Groningen Confucius Institute, Association of Chinese Students and Scholars Groningen (ACSSG), University of Groningen (RUG) and Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen jointly organized 2018 Chinese Cultural Day in Groningen. A whole day programme including keynote speeches, Chinese cultural workshops, performances and buffet was successfully hosted by GCI teachers and ACSSG students, attracting around 200 people to participate in.

Prof. Oliver Moore, Chair of Chinese Language and Culture at the Faculty of Arts (at the RUG), who kicked off the event with warm regards and also introduced the current situation of China society by giving some examples of multiple social media and the prevalence of mobile payment, which aroused audiences’ interest in present-day China.

Prof. Oliver Moore, Chair of Chinese Language and Culture at the Faculty of Arts in RUG was giving a keynote speech

Mrs. Xuefei Knoester-Cao, Director of GCI and also a Senior Policy Advisor at RUG, stressed the importance of university internationalization and presented the efforts and contributions that RUG had made in promoting internationalization of academic and cultural exchange, which called forth heated discussion among the audiences.

Mrs. Xuefei Knoester-Cao, Director of GCI, was giving a speech

Four parallel sessions concerning the Chinese partner of UGY (RUG in Yantai)’s reaction to the cancellation of plans for the branch campus, trends in Chinese social media, the cashless society in China and the situation of Chinese overseas students working in China or the Netherlands were well attended by participants who showed great interest.

The speakers were giving parallel sessions

After the lunch break, a series of Chinese cultural workshops, such as Chinese calligraphy, Chinese paper-cutting, Chinese painting, Chinese tea ceremony, Chinese knotting, Chinese dumpling making were elaborately conducted by GCI teachers and ACSSG students, enabling attendees to joyfully experience and further understand Chinese culture through in-person interactions.

GCI teacher Yang Wang was conducting tea ceremony workshop

GCI teacher Shang Qiao was conducting Chinese painting workshop

GCI teacher Afang Fang was conducting Chinese calligraphy workshop

GCI teacher Jingfan Xie was conducting Chinese paper-cutting workshop

Attendees’ work

The evening’s events featuring Chinese cultural performances and Chinese buffet were also specially designed, with GCI teachers, ACSSG students and students from Communication University of China giving excellent performances such as Chinese classical instrument ensemble, Chinese poem recital, Chinese ethnic dance and Chinese singing, which earned rounds of applause from the audience.

Various performances by GCI teachers, ACSSG students and students from Communication University of China

Chinese Cultural Day is an important platform to further the communication and interaction between Chinese and Dutch people and has enabled Dutch people to get more acquainted with Chinese culture as well as the economic and social development of China, also igniting their passion for learning Chinese.

(By Jingfan Xie, photos by Shang Qiao and Zhizhou Fan, video by Shang Qiao)

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