From June 7 to June 10, 2019, Confucius Institute at Assumption University (hereafter CIAU) co-held the Dragon Boat Festival celebrations with CIAU teaching sites Streesmutprakan School, Samutprakarn, Intertots Trilingual School, Chachoengsao and Assumption College, Bangkok. More than 3,000 teachers and students participated in these celebrations and experienced the long-standing Chinese Dragon Boat Festival culture.
A rich variety of festival activities were held: zongzi (the traditional Chinese pudding eaten during Dragon Boat Festival) making, poetry recitation, storytelling, dragon boat race and so on. Participants were eager to try and the atmosphere was lively.
The Dragon Boat Festival celebration activities at Streesmutprakan School, Samutprakarn, attracted more than 2,800 teachers and students to participate. Through reciting the poem “Xiao Chongshan-Dragon Boat Festival”, students could understand the profound historical connotation of this festival as well as the loyalty and integrity of the great Chinese poet – Qu Yuan. The students of Senior Two and Three Chinese classes introduced the origin and customs of the Dragon Boat Festival by story-telling and question-and-answer sessions. The fluent Chinese expression of them impressed people a lot.
The affiliated Chinese Tests Center plate unveiling ceremony and the Dragon Boat Festival celebration activities were held at Intertots Trilingual School, Chachoengsao. Ms. Chalermkwan Jearawongsakul, the director of Intertots Trilingual School, Chachoengsao and Ms. Yang Hairong, the Chinese director of CIAU, attended the ceremony. Students in Intertots Trilingual School learned about the origin and customs of the Dragon Boat Festival through the performances of teachers and students and the activities of wrapping zongzi. Creative Dragon Boat Competition enabled pupils to celebrate the unforgettable festival with cheers and laughter.
The students of Assumption College, Bangkok, learned the origin and customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, and then made zongzi under the leadership of their teachers. After rolling leaves, stuffing with different fillings, pressing and bundling carefully, the students successfully made zongzi with several attempts.
Through a series of cultural activities organized by CIAU and CIAU teaching sites, teachers and students in Thailand came into close contact with Chinese culture and deepened their understanding. In the future, CIAU will continue to hold more cultural activities while doing a good job of Chinese teaching, which will provide a platform for all foreigners who are interested in Chinese culture to learn Chinese and strengthen culture exchange.
Edited by Ms.Cao Le
Translated by Ms.Wang Jiao
Revised by Ms.Cao Le