International School Students at Huashang College and Foreign Teachers Visit Yuexiu Park to Enjoy Lanterns Together

On the evening of March 1st, the teachers and students of the International School of Guangzhou Huashang College ventured to Guangzhou Yuexiu Park to partake in a mesmerizing lantern festival with foreign teachers from Turkey and Pakistan. The goal was to enhance the English communication skills of the students while allowing the foreign teachers to immerse themselves in the splendor of Chinese traditional culture.

When the foreign teachers entered Yuexiu Park, they were immediately drawn to the two tangerine trees at the entrance. The college students explained to them that this is a traditional Chinese New Year custom in Lingnan culture. The word for “tangerine” sounds similar to the word for “luck” in Cantonese, symbolising good fortune. Tangerines are placed in every house during Chinese New Year, and 100 of them are often arranged in a golden lotus-patterned treasure bowl, signifying abundance and good luck.

While enjoying the lanterns, the students also explained to the foreign teachers the culture of the Lantern Festival, the origin and meaning of lanterns, and the traditional Lantern Festival riddle-guessing activities. Facing the colorful lotus-shaped, violet-flower-shaped, dragon-shaped, and orange-disc-shaped ones, the foreign teachers expressed their heartfelt admiration for the skills and artistic creativity of the Chinese craftsmen.

In front of the 100-meter colorful dragon “Dragon in Bloom”, the university students explained to the foreign teachers about the Chinese zodiac culture, the legend of the dragon, and the status and influence of the dragon in Chinese culture.

As a token of appreciation to the students of the International College, the Pakistani teachers also gave each of them a small lantern with a dragon element, wishing all of them a bright future as the dragonflies.

Through this activity, the college students fully understood the importance of having the ability to tell Chinese stories in English and cross-cultural communication skills, further strengthened their cultural self-confidence, and at the same time, let the charming Chinese culture make a deep imprint in the hearts of foreign teachers.