Source: People's Daily Online
People's Daily News Mexico City, October 23 (Reporter Peng Min) On October 23, the 2022 Autumn Chinese Culture Festival, jointly organized by the Confucius Institute in Mexico City, Jiangxi Normal University, and the Chinese Language Promotion Committee of the China Cultural Information Association, ended successfully in Mexico City. This cultural festival coincides with the successful convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Mexico. As the first large-scale offline cultural event after the epidemic, teachers and students of Confucius Institute in Mocheng jointly expressed their love for traditional Chinese culture and their blessings for China through songs, ethnic dances, Tai Chi performances, traditional dragon and lion dances, etc.
At the cultural festival, classic programs such as "Opening Door", "Rain Alley" and "Jasmine" won bursts of applause, and the children's innocent and cute singing was also deeply loved by the audience. Confucius Institute teachers used guzheng and soft folk dances to make the Mexican people feel the charm of Chinese art. The traditional dragon and lion dance brought the atmosphere to a climax, allowing the hundreds of Mexican spectators present to deeply appreciate the charm of Chinese culture.
The picture shows the dragon and lion dance performance at the Chinese Cultural Festival. Photo courtesy of Confucius Institute in Mexico City
During the Chinese Cultural Festival, in addition to enjoying cultural performances, Mexican people can also learn about and participate in traditional paper-cutting, Chinese knot making, Peking opera face painting, calligraphy, tea art, Tai Chi martial arts and other practical experiences. Robert told reporters that he was very interested in Chinese culture, and he was very excited after seeing the event news on Facebook, and specially took an hour and a half to watch it, which was really worth the trip. His sister Julie stood in front of the booth of the tea art demonstration, listening to the teacher of the Confucius Institute talk about Chinese tea culture, "I think Chinese tea art is very unique, I like to drink Chinese tea." In front of the zodiac signature display stand, there was a long queue. Alex showed the reporter the Chinese signature he had just got, "Chinese is really a completely different language, I want to save my Chinese name and admire it carefully." ”
The picture shows a Tai Chi martial arts performance at the Chinese Culture Festival. Photo courtesy of Confucius Institute in Mexico City
Zhou Lingyan, Director of the Confucius Institute in Mexico City, said that the Autumn Chinese Cultural Festival has been successfully held for thirteen years, and Mexicans are increasingly interested in Chinese culture, and now Mexican audiences come to watch and experience it spontaneously. She said that when it comes to spreading traditional Chinese culture, physical practice is more acceptable to the local people than oral expression, so the teachers of the Confucius Institute learn various traditional Chinese cultural skills and teach them to students. Cultural festivals are a great way to provide local people with a good opportunity to learn more about China.
The picture shows the audience drawing the face of Peking Opera at the Chinese Cultural Festival. Photo courtesy of Confucius Institute in Mexico City
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 50 years ago, China and Mexico have made tremendous achievements in economic and cultural exchanges. In recent years, there have also been new developments and prospects in the field of educational cooperation. In 2021, the China International Chinese Education Foundation authorized Jiangxi Normal University to cooperate with the Huaxia Cultural Institute in Mexico City to jointly establish the Confucius Institute in Mexico City. We believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, international Chinese education and Chinese cultural dissemination in Mexico will write a new chapter.
Source: People's Daily - International Channel