PYP Celebrates Chinese New Year Activities
As the cycle returns to the Year of the Dragon, heralding the rebirth of all things and the welcoming swallows of spring, the wheels of time are about to roll into the Jia Chen Dragon Year. To celebrate the 2024 Chinese Lunar New Year, the XLIS Primary Chinese Department hosted a vibrant array of celebrations for the children on January 31st. The event was divided into two parts: from 8:20 to 11:30 AM, ECEA-P1 students enjoyed the ‘Dragon Welcomes Spring’ carnival at the Early Years classroom and corridor, and from 1:20 to 3:30 PM, P2-P6 students gathered at the Blue Dragon Theater for the ‘Dragons Roaming the World, Chinese is the most beautiful’ New Year assembly. Parents of students from each grade were also invited to join and share joyful moments with their children.
The Spring Festival is the grandest traditional festival of the Chinese nation, and for children in international schools, it’s an opportunity to experience Chinese folk customs and enhance cultural identity. Despite their young age, the Early Years children, under the guidance of teachers and folk artists, skillfully engaged in making lanterns, dough figurines, dragon cards, and steamed flower buns. The parents seemed to rediscover their childhood memories, busily engaged in crafts, solving lantern riddles, tasting snacks, and viewing exhibitions accompanying the child. The entire kindergarten was filled with laughter, festive joy, and the warmth of the Chinese New Year.
Famous children’s author Mr. Cao Wenxuan once said: ‘The relationship between reading and writing is like that of the bow and arrow. Reading is the prerequisite for writing, and writing is the result of reading.’ The event featured renowned writer Wang Gang, who shared secrets of reading and writing in Chinese with P2-P6 students and parents. Additionally, actors from each grade presented a splendid Chinese learning achievement performance. Among them, the P6 native language class staged the textbook play ‘The Minister and the General,’ introducing the audience to the ancient ‘culture of harmony’ of the Chinese nation. P5 second-language students performed a song recital ‘Farewell,’ expressing the unique sentiments of Chinese literati. The P3 second-language students’ skit ‘The Fox Borrows the Tiger’s Terror’ vividly revealed the enlightenment from ancient fables. P4 native language students’ recitative poem ‘Descendants of the Dragon’ conveyed pride and affection as ‘little dragon people,’ and the P2 native language students’ choral poem ‘Counting Nine Song·New Year’s Day’ created a jubilant atmosphere of the first day of the new year.
At the end of the year, as the dragon leaps forward and spring returns with busy swallows and orioles, the Lunar New Year celebrations come to a successful close, and we stand at the fresh starting line of 2024! Wishing every little dragon at XLIS a year of health and happiness, lively as a dragon, and ready to face new challenges with the spirit of a dragon. Let’s gather our strength and meet again when the next spring blooms!
MYP Celebrates Chinese New Year Activities
When the hustle and bustle of modern life obscure the ancient moonlight, can we still trace the traces it once illuminated? The 6th Chinese Speech Contest of Xi’an Liangjiatan International School, themed “The time and space” has sparked profound reflections among middle school teachers and students on life, time, and change.
In this competition, 15 outstanding speakers passed through layers of selection and took the stage at the Blue Dragon Theater. Grounded in their personal understanding and cognition, they explored the meaning of life, expressed their reluctance towards the passage of time, and delved into profound reflections on change and permanence. Thus, the themes of the ebb and flow of time, the swift passage of moments, self-growth, and information development became vivid and rich in their speeches.
In the end, after rigorous evaluation by the judges, the list of winners for this speech competition is as follows:
The First Place
M1 Li, Zhiyuan (Derek),
M3 Choi, Hyunjun (Thomas)
The Second Place
M1 M1 Marvin Wang，
M3 Yu,Qinshan (Olivia)，
M3 Lee, Seungyeon (Lily)，
M3 Song,
M3 Kaden Tian Lei (Kaden)
The Third Place
M2 Kim,Ree-jin (Celona)，
M4 Chen,Yifan (Jack)，
M1 Park, Chomi (Cho Mi)，
M4 Chen,Ruiqing (Vicky)，
M4 He Shengyuan(Sergery)，
M5 Gao, Yuchen (Yoyo)，
M1 Lalor, Zoe Elizabeth (Zoe)，
M3 Lee, Yonghwan (Alex)，
M4 You, Muhan(Kitty)，
M2 Kang, Jimin(Lily)
In this unique speech feast, we not only witnessed the students’ love and contemplation for life but also gained insight into their expectations and aspirations for the future. May these young minds bravely pursue their dreams in the coming year, like the ancient moonlight, illuminating the path ahead.
In the afternoon, Secondary school students dressed in Chinese traditional costumes representing their own countries seemed to shuttle through time and space, immersing themselves in experiencing the intangible cultural heritage workshops, such as Tian-tsui, Lipstick made in ancient way, Tea ceremony, Mahjong, Chess, Sachets, and so on. The workshops for this Chinese Culture Festival were autonomously planned and led by DP students, integrating with CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) projects. Through this initiative, students achieved various CAS learning outcomes, such as discovering personal strengths, exploring areas for growth, initiating and completing projects, collaborating within a team, and engaging globally. From delving into the depths of personal interests to the fusion of global cultures, students not only ignited their cultural enthusiasm but also developed a profound global awareness during the event.
The traditional jewelry making craft that amazed time – Tian-tsui Workshop is the most popular. During Ming and Qing dynasties, craftsmanship of Tian-tsui reached a height that is difficult to replicate, and it was also one of the dowries that ancient women dreamed of, meaning to choose one from a hundred miles and meticulously crafted. Students completed the complex process of selecting, arranging, carving, and pasting jade one by one, making their unique works more vivid, delicate, and beautiful. Students use their creativity to make their own work of beauty, simplicity, and subtlety.
In the tea culture workshop, students sat in the room filled with incense and selected their favorite tea, experienced processes such as washing and brewing tea, savor the tea soup, and also imbued the process of ordering tea with a sense of harmony, lightness, and peace.
The Mahjong workshop was full of laughter and joy. Students coordinated and strategized, gradually putting on a situation of turning the world around, replacing the good with the bad, and defeating the strong with the weak. Each deck of cards contains heaven, earth, and the Five Elements, reflecting the ever-changing life and a microcosm of Chinese culture. It also exercised students’ ability to plan and think logically.
In New Year celebration atmosphere, students practiced skills and recreated their work, connecting ancient cultural heritage with modern life to revitalize it. While inheriting the value of intangible cultural heritage and continuing the historical context, we also worked together to promote the excellent traditional Chinese culture.
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Author :
XLIS Primary and Secondary
Mandarin Team
