On the occasion of the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese festival, on the afternoon of 8 June, international students from the "Belt and Road Cultural and Artistic Talent Training Program" and the Shanghai Summer School (Chinese Opera Course), together with overseas students from the International Exchange Centre of the University, went into the Shanghai Jiamutang Cultural Experience Centre to learn about the traditional Chinese culture and the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, and to have an immersive experience and perceive the cultural connotation of this traditional Chinese festival.
Organized by the International Exchange Centre of the University, this event aimed to strengthen the interpretation of the ideological value of excellent traditional culture, let international students perceive the beauty of traditional culture, and help international students' career development.
At the beginning of the activity, the participants listened to a presentation on the Dragon Boat Festival culture entitled “How the Ancient People Got Through the Summer” given by Ms. Lou Yan from the International Exchange Centre, which explained the Chinese ways of following the nature and how to cleverly use all things in nature to get through the hot summer days. It covered all aspects of the ancient people's life in terms of clothing, food, housing and transportation, as well as the unique Chinese incense culture, and the origins and cultural customs of the Dragon Boat Festival.
In the folklore experience section, teachers and students learned to make Dragon Boat Festival scented sachets under the guidance of Ms. Zheng Jingyu from Jiamutang. Kayla, an international student from New Zealand, said excitedly that it was her first time to try to make a scented sachet today, and it was a good experience for her to understand more about traditional Chinese culture through the exchange and learning on the spot. The students smiled happily with their own scented sachets. A scented sachet not only contained the blessings of the Dragon Boat Festival, but also allowed the students to take the excellent traditional Chinese culture to their hearts in each stitch they made.
This Dragon Boat Festival cultural experience activity combined cultural presentations and practical interactions. The international students who came to our university to participate in the "Belt and Road Cultural and Artistic Talents Training Program" and the Shanghai Summer School (Chinese Opera Course) deeply appreciated the profundity of the traditional Chinese culture, deeply understood the traditional ways of getting through the summer in ancient China, and experienced the traditional Dragon Boat Festival activities such as setting up the eggs, making scented sachets, tasting Dragon Boat Festival tea and other traditional customs, which enhanced their sense of identification with Chinese traditional culture, and stimulated their interest in learning Chinese language and their love for Chinese culture.
