The Confucius Institute at Newcastle University (CI) collaborated with International Newcastle (IN) to host, for the first time, a series of “Welcome to China” Chinese Language and Culture Experiences, as a part of Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages 2024.
From March 12th to 14th, the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University organized six Chinese culture experience workshops for more than 60 students from North East schools. Participating schools included Chantry and Hexham Middle Schools from Northumberland and Gosforth Central Middle and St John Vianney Primary Schools from Newcastle. These workshops received unanimous praise from local teachers and students. The workshops led by CI teachers were meticulously tailored to suit the students’ ages. The students exhibited great enthusiasm, contributing to a joyful and rewarding learning atmosphere.
Pictured: Chantry Middle School with Xiaolu Tan
In the Chinese Beginner Experience workshop led by CI Chinese teacher Xiaolu Tan, activities such as group bonding through number games and ‘Hug of Love‘ games were enjoyed by the students. The spirit of mutual assistance and sharing was evident during these activities.
Pictured: Chantry Middle School pupils playing ‘Hug of Love’
Despite occasional challenges, students demonstrated understanding and support for each other. To encourage participation, students who were eliminated in each round received panda stickers as rewards.
Pictured: Chantry Middle School pupils creating Chinese characters
Pupils enjoyed the hands-on experience of creating Chinese characters with clay, gaining a better understanding of Chinese strokes.
Additionally, they showed great conscientiousness and responsibility by actively assisting in cleaning up the classroom after the workshop, contributing to the smooth running of the activities.
Pictured: Gosforth Central Middle practicing martial arts
Teacher Yingying Wei’s Chinese martial arts workshop was especially popular. Prior to the teaching of the Five Steps Fist, students eagerly expressed their curiosity about learning Chinese martial arts. During the teaching session, they enthusiastically followed the instructions and demonstrated remarkable coordination.
Despite the challenging moves requiring flexibility and balance, they made diligent efforts and successfully performed the entire set of Five Steps Fist.
Pictured: Gosforth pupil practicing the resting stance
During the horse stance practice, students enjoyed mimicking the action of riding a horse while squatting, often bursting into laughter. One boy even used the resting stance taught by the teacher during break time, demonstrating a good grasp of the essence of the stance!
Later, during the group photo session, everyone shouted “ha” together and posed with boxing gestures (pictured below), creating a joyful atmosphere.
Pictured: Gosforth Central Middle School group photo with teachers
Pictured: Hexham Middle pupils experience the Chinese taster
Teacher Na Yao’s Chinese Beginner Experience workshop also received unanimous praise from students and accompanying teachers.
Starting with self-introduction, Yao seamlessly integrated “see, hear, speak” and vocabulary related to preferences into teaching through Total Physical Response (TPR), leaving a deep impression on the students.
Through activities like guessing food words by listening to pronunciation and expressing likes and dislikes, students were pleasantly surprised when they could speak sentences like “I like hamburgers” and “Do you like French fries?” in Chinese, greatly enhancing their interest and confidence in learning Chinese.
The lively and catchy Chinese food song concluded the workshop, elevating the classroom atmosphere.
Pictured: Gosforth Central Middle learning food words in Chinese
The accompanying teachers also joined in, leading to a singing competition where everyone learned food-related vocabulary such as fries, hamburgers, and ice cream. Yao’s approach of making Chinese fun and accessible left a lasting impression on the students, who left the workshop with a sense of fulfilment.
Pictured: Gosforth Central Middle School teachers singing
Pictured: Hexham Middle School pupils in the paper cutting workshop, with fish and Chinese characters
The paper-cutting workshop, led by Teacher Chunfeng Lu, was meticulously prepared. She first introduced the traditional Chinese art of paper-cutting, showcasing some exquisite paper-cut works. Then, she explained the history and beautiful symbolism behind paper-cutting culture. Finally, she guided the students through the process of folding paper, drawing patterns, and cutting out three-dimensional fish and the Chinese characters for “double happiness.”
The students followed the teacher’s steps, creating their own artworks and happily taking photos with them. Through hands-on activities, they demonstrated a strong interest in Chinese culture and a passion for learning.
After the events, the accompanying teachers expressed their gratitude for the successful organization of the activities and showed a keen interest in offering after-school interest classes, expressing their anticipation for further communication and cooperation.
Further information and links
- Click on the link to find out more about the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University
- #confuciusinstituteatnewcastleuni #chineselanguage&culture
- Confucius Institute at Newcastle University brochure 2023
- Click here to find out more about Express Yourself North East Festival of Languages 2024
