On June 10th 2021, under the theme of "Welcome the Dragon Boat Festival with sweet Zongzi"，Chinese and foreign students of SIE (School of International Education) celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival as a prelude to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of CPC on the second floor of Leshuiyuan (western campus canteen). Many leaders and teachers of SIE joined this event together with the student participants.
Firstly, the student host introduced briefly the Dragon Boat Festival to participants in both English and Chinese. Then, the international students had fun in making delicious Zongzi, first with the patient help of Chinese students and canteen workers, then independently. Soon, trays of Zongzi were made in all sorts of shapes. At the same time, a quiz about knowledge of Dragon Boat Festival also exited the audience. Every participant who gave the right answer first was awarded with a special fragrant sachet, which was a traditional gadget for the festival.
Canteen helpers came to collect the Zongzi wrapped to cook them ready, and the students entered into a talent show. Gao Cailian (Mariam) from Tanzania sang the song "Me and my country" together with her Chinese friends. After that, Mr. Cao Dechun, the dean of SIE, sang the song "Clouds from My Hometown", which gained a big round of applause. At last, Miss Wang Qing sang us beautifully the classic song "Laugh It Off". In a cheerful atmosphere, the game "Passing the Parcel" came in. YOLANDA from Zimbabwe got the "prize" and invited her friends Livinus, Bashir, Musa and Gao Cailian together to perform a wonderful dance on stage, which also received big hands and cheers from the audience.
As the most expected of all, eating self-made Zongzi concluded our big party perfectly. When having the Zongzi Made by themselves, everyone put on a satisfied smile on their face. Finally, all participants were invited to take a photo to cherish this joyful moment in their memories.
This was a meaningful cultural exchange activity. It provided a chance for the international students to know more about and feel the Dragon Boat Festival. Chinese and international students worked together to make Zongzi and enjoyed them, which helped build a communication bridge between them and enhanced the sense of integration and friendship. It is always in SIE's interest to hold more cultural exchange activities and deepen the friendship between China and other countries.