20260530 The Confucius Institute in Sofia Participated in the 2026 Peony and Flower Festival in Bozhurishte

On May 30, the Confucius Institute in Sofia was invited to participate in the “2026 Peony and Flower Festival” hosted by the Bozhurishte Municipal Government. Nearly one thousand participants attended the event, including Veselka Simova, Chair of the Bozhurishte Municipal Council; Georgi Dimov, Mayor of Bozhurishte; Vladislava Simeonova, Deputy Mayor; Aksiniya Koleva and Chen Ying, Directors of the Confucius Institute; distinguished guests; local residents; and tourists.

During the award ceremony organized by the municipal government, the Bulgarian and Chinese Directors of the Confucius Institute in Sofia were invited as special guests to give speeches on stage. This year’s Peony and Flower Festival in Bozhurishte was held at St. George the Victorious Square. In her speech, Bulgarian Director Aksiniya Koleva noted that this was the first jointly organized Chinese cultural workshop between the two parties, and that in the future, if there is sufficient demand, the Institute will also offer Chinese language courses in the city. In her speech, Chinese Director Chen Ying expressed her gratitude to the Bozhurishte Municipal Government for the invitation and noted that future cooperation between the two sides could be developed around the city’s representative historical and cultural symbols.

During the event, the Confucius Institute in Sofia organized a wide range of Chinese cultural workshops, including demonstrations of Chinese audio-enabled textbooks, painting peony oil-paper umbrellas and round fans, Hanfu try-on experiences, calligraphy and paper-cutting activities, Peking Opera mask creation, and DIY Hanfu workshops. These activities attracted many participants and interactive participation. For many local residents, this was their first close-up experience of the unique charm of Chinese culture.

The Confucius Institute in Sofia will use flower culture as a medium to deepen its cooperation with Bozhurishte. The peony-themed cultural and creative products for this event were provided by Mudan District, Heze City, Shandong Province.

Source: Confucius Institute in Sofia

Text: Zhang Kaiyue

Photos: Zhang Kaiyue, Li Xinmei

Editors: Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva, Ding Chen

English translation: Dima Pironkova