On September 26^th, on the occasion of the European Language Day and the 2573rd anniversary of Confucius' birth, the USTB-DMU Confucius Institute (CI) and Hazel Community Primary School co-hosted a commemorative event. The local teachers and 60 Year-3 students had a taste of the wisdom of the Chinese sage and Chinese culture through experiencing calligraphy and Tai-Chi Fan dance.

CI teachers with Ellie Chettle Cully, Languages and International Lead of Hazel Community Primary School

Ms. ZHAI Shuliang, a CI teacher, started with a brief introduction of Confucius, the basic idea of Confucianism and its far-reaching influence. “Every fellow-traveler could be a good teacher.”, “What a pleasure to have friends from afar!”, Such proverbial quotes left the children marvel at the conciseness of the Chinese language and the wisdom of the ancient sage.

Then came an introduction of the origin and types of Chinese calligraphy. Ms. ZHAI showed the pupils the “Four Treasures of the Study” —— brush, ink, paper and inkstone one by one, demonstrating the correct writing posture and basic writing techniques of the brush. The children were eager to write with brushes “日 (sun)”, “月 (moon)” and “明 (bright)”, exclaiming at the magic of Chinese characters.

Chinese Calligraphy Teaching

Later, Ms. YU Xingrui and Ms. YANG Yang, both CI teachers, demonstrated a complete Tai-Chi Fan dance and showed the students some basic movements. “White Crane Spreads Its Wings”, “Wasp Goes into the Cave”, “Nezha Explores the Sea”, etc., combining the skills of fans with Tai-Chi. The students became so enthusiastic that they rushed to the stage to learn. Finally, they were able to perform several basic movements accurately.

Tai-Chi Fan Teaching

The event has provided the local students with a first-hand experience of Chinese culture and paved the way for the follow-up lessons of Chinese. Ms. Ellie Chettle Cully, Languages and International Lead of Hazel Community Primary School and several of her fellow teachers praised the activity on their school’s Twitter and retweeted the CI, saying that it was a highlight of the “European Language Day”and hope we can have more cooperations in the future.

Draft: YANG Yingjun

Revision: YANG Yingjun