The 2024 "International Chinese Day" series of activities, hosted by the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines and undertaken by the Confucius Institute at Hongxi Lishi University in the Philippines, was held at San Francisco Public High School in Manila on April 18, with the theme of "'Characters' from Meeting You - Chinese: Building Bridges of Mutual Learning among Civilizations". Zhou Zhiyong, Minister Counselor and Xiong Sheng, Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, Maggie, Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the Philippine Department of Education, Cristito, Deputy Director of the Philippine National Capital District Education Bureau, Rosdido and Yanine, Senior Education Program Specialists of the Curriculum Development Department of the Philippine Department of Education, Jose Macapagall, Vice President of Hongxi Resh University, Florio, Principal of San Francisco Public High School, Xu Lei, Chinese Director of Confucius Institute at Red Creek Resh University, Pei Gang, Director of the Philippine National Capital District, and some public middle schools in the Philippine National Capital District that have Chinese programs. Nearly 400 people, including teachers, students and media representatives, attended the event.
In his speech, Zhou Zhiyong said that language is not only the carrier of culture, but also the cornerstone of civilization exchange. As one of the oldest and most profound languages in the world, Chinese carries the enduring wisdom and civilization of the Chinese nation. Chinese education is not only a valuable language resource provided by China to the world, but also a key bridge for China and the world to integrate and enhance understanding. Since last year, a number of Philippine government departments have successively launched Chinese training courses, which have become a platform for Philippine government officials to learn Chinese and understand Chinese culture, and it is expected that more Filipino young people will devote themselves to Chinese learning, embark on a journey to China for exchanges, and experience the real, diverse and vivid Chinese style.
José Macapagal said that Chinese is a tool for disseminating knowledge, literature, philosophy and cultural heritage, and its words, strokes and tones condense the essence of thousands of years of civilization. We have seen the profound impact of Chinese on the global society, and witnessed the continuous development and recognition of Chinese around the world.
Maggie emphasized the importance of learning Chinese. She believes that Chinese is not only one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, but more importantly, it has practical value, and learning Chinese can help students improve their core competitiveness in their future careers and win them a brighter future.
Cristito said that Chinese and Filipino people interact through Chinese, and Filipino students seek more job opportunities at home and abroad by learning Chinese. He encouraged the students to cherish the opportunity to learn Chinese, understand the broad and profound Chinese culture, and constantly cultivate and improve their abilities.
During the event, students from the Chinese program of San Francisco Public High School brought wonderful performances such as the Mongolian men's group dance "The Return of the Horse" and the women's classical fan dance "Flower Moon in Pairs". The students and volunteer teachers Chinese of the Confucius Institute at Hongxi Lishi University performed the dance "Blind Date and Love", showing the beauty and vitality of youth to the guests and winning bursts of applause. The volunteer teachers of the Confucius Institute carefully prepared traditional Chinese culture experience projects such as calligraphy, paper-cutting, Chinese knots, Peking Opera masks, costumes, etc., and displayed Chinese teaching resources such as VR experience, attracting teachers and students to experience and experience the charm of Chinese Chinese language and culture.
Afterwards, everyone moved to the classroom to listen to the calligraphy open class brought by Zheng Yingjie, a volunteer teacher of the Confucius Institute. The calligraphy class uses Chinese characters as the medium, through the blending of ink, paper and pen, to show the teachers and students the unique charm of Chinese calligraphy culture, and open a window of communication for them to better understand China.
The "International Chinese Day" event provided an opportunity for Filipinos to experience the charm of Chinese and Chinese culture, and stimulated their interest in learning Chinese, understanding Chinese culture and getting closer to China. (Contributed by the Cultural [Education] Section of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines)