Chang E, Where Are You Going? ̶ The Mid-autumn Festival Cultural Salon

Source: School of Chinese as a Second Language
Written by: Du Qiangwei
Translated by: Jiang Chenhao
Proofread by: Liang Jianxin
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

In order to celebrate the Mid-autumn Festival with international students, the Chinese Cultural Salon "Chang E, where are you going?" was held by School of Chinese as a Second Language at SYSU on September 5, 2014. This Salon attracted more than 50 international students from 16 countries, including America, Thailand, Korea, Japan and Germany.

The Mid-autumn Festival Cultural Salon began with the ensemble of traditional instruments. The zither performers coordinated with the bamboo flute players who played the famous ci writer Sushi's masterpiece — “The Prelude to Water Melody”. Afterwards, the hostess briefly introduced the origin of the Chinese Mid-autumn Festival by playing a sand painting video.  
 

The Mime Game
 

The international students were divided into 10 groups according to the bookmarks they received when they first entered the room. The Mime Game was played, which received high praise from the participating students. Each group selected two members. One student expressed the word showed on the hint card with body language and simple words. The other student guessed what they thought was on the card. Ali, who comes from Pakistan and Jaruthat Tancharoen, who hails from Thailand, had one of the most memorable performances, which made everybody burst into laughter. 

The next part was decorating a traditional Chinese lantern, which was considered to be the main attraction of the entire Salon. Scores of different kinds of lanterns were created, having Chinese characters and plum blossom beautifully adorned on them. Geoffrey David Hill, who comes from Australia, drew signs and special marks to record his life in China with his Chinese girlfriend. “These signs are our memories, and I want to use them to show my love to my girlfriend and China,” he said.
 

Group Photo
 

At last, the Salon ended with the group dance in the music “The Little Apple”. The event was an incredible success as the students experienced fun, laughter, and the joy of meeting new friends. The School of Chinese as a Second Language has hosted 94 Chinese Cultural Salons for international students since 2007, with more than 5,000 participants.