During the Spring Festival,Confucius Institutes (Classroom) jointly built by Huaqiao University (HQU) and overseas universities held a wide range of activities to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Bangkok (Thailand), Davao (Philippines) and Vienna (Austria). These traditional festive activities featuring writing Spring Festival couplets, performing lion and dragon dances, and making paper cuts, expressed best wishes to local students, teachers, and the public, reviving the offline cultural exchanges.

In Thailand, Confucius Institute at Kasetsart University and the Secretariat of the Senate jointly held a small-scale Spring Festival Gala themedFu Shou Kang Ning(meaning the best wishes for good fortune, longevity, good health, and peaceful life).The officials of the Secretariat of the Senate and the House of Representatives celebrated the Chinese New Year together with the students and teachers of the Confucius Institute. Mr. Pongkit Aroonpukdeesakul, Advisor on Politics, Administration and Management of the Secretariat of the Senate, presided over the opening ceremony. In the Sakon Nakhon campus of Confucius Institute of Kasetsart University, the students and teachers hang red lanterns, pasted Spring Festival couplets, and displayed beautiful Hanfu (a traditional Chinese style of clothing). Additionally, Brighton College Bangkok created photogenic spots for social media and launched activities like experiencing calligraphy and painting with an ink brush, and here Liu Yulin,an international Chinese language education volunteer, and the teachers of the college performedan ensemble ofGuzheng (a Chinese plucked zither) and piano, which received enthusiastic applause from the audience.

In the Sakon Nakhon campus of Confucius Institute at Kasetsart University, the students and teachers hang red lanterns and pasted Spring Festival couplets.

InBrighton College Bangkok, the students wrote Spring Festival couplets.

In celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Rabbit, the students from Confucius Classroom at Phuket Wittayalai School presented Chinese wuxia culture through martial arts, pitch-pot, and lion dance onstage, showing the strength and beauty of youth.

In celebration of the Chinese New Year, the students of Confucius Classroom at Phuket Wittayalai School presented a lion dance onstage.

Confucius Institute at the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) of the Philippines also held a small-scale Spring Festival Gala and shared live broadcast on Facebook. Both the online and offline audience spent a wonderful time at the gala, which featured all kinds of performances like Chinese martial arts, a recitation of classical quotations fromthe Analects of Confucius, and Chinese pop songs -The Moon Represents My HeartandHappy New Year. Liu Qian, Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Davao, Jeremy S. Eliab, Vice President of the AdDU, Barbara Carla Q. Echavia, Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of the Philippines, Chen Youcheng, President of the Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Davao Chapter, and Mindanao Government Officials from theChinese Language Training Program were all present to exchange best wishes with each other. Lin Hongyu, Vice President of HQU, recorded a video to congratulate the success of the event and express his best wishes for greater success in the cooperation between HQU and AdDU, thereby making great contributions to the friendship between China and thePhilippines.

Chinese martial arts were performed in Confucius Institute, Ateneo de Davao University.

Confucius Classroom of Chinese Language School in Vienna, Austria invited teachers, students, along with their parents, and people from all walks of life to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Decorated with colorful lanterns and festoons, the 500-seat venue was packed with people. Representatives from the Education section of the Chinese Embassy in Austria, the Austrian Shaolin Cultural Center, and the Austria-China Friendship Association also attended the event. Like other institutes and classrooms, there werevarious exciting performances, such as dragon dance and recitation.

Dragon dance was performed in the Confucius Classroom of Chinese Language School in Vienna, Austria.

(Editor: Cai Juntao)