Confucius Classroom at University of Ruse Held 6th Chinese Culture Festival

On November 26, 2022, on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the inauguration of the Confucius Classroom at the University of Ruse affiliated to the Confucius Institute in Sofia, the sixth Chinese Culture Festival was held. The event was open to the public and free of charge. Despite the cold weather and heavy fog, nearly 400 citizens from Ruse participated in the event.

Mrs. Aksinya Koleva, Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and Prof. Liu Xiuming, the Chinese director, arrived at the teaching site farthest from the Confucius Institute in Sofia after driving for nearly five hours. Prof. Yuliana Popova, Interinstitutional Communications Coordinator and head of the Confucius Classroom at the University of Ruse, expressed a warm welcome at the arrival of the two directors.

The Chinese Culture Festival is one of the biggest annual activities of the Confucius Classroom. After two years of online activities during the pandemic, the Confucius Classroom created this interesting and informative Chinese cultural event.

The event consisted of two parts: the first part was "Chinese Culture: The Greedy Snake", referring to the classic game "Snake". This part consisted of 8 Chinese cultural experience activities, including inquiring into the Chinese zodiac, writing calligraphy, applying Beijing opera makeup, paper-cutting for window decoration, etc. The goal was to give the participants an opportunity to receive Chinese souvenirs in the shape of stickers.

The show started after the speeches delivered by Prof. Desislava Atanasova, vice rector of the University of Ruse, and Mrs. Aksinya Koleva, Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia. The Confucius Classroom presented an artistic program through which the audience could travel through ancient and modern times and feel the fusion between China and Bulgaria. The show included the following: silk fan dance combining softness and rigidity performed by students from the University of Ruse - the classic song "National Treasure" was played as background music; the song "I Love You China" performed by Bulgarian singer Valeria Beicheva which ignited the nostalgia of the Chinese guests for their homeland; the classic Bulgarian song "My Bulgaria", performed by He Qingfang, a student from the Sofia National Conservatory of Music, which aroused the applause of the audience; and finally, a traditional Chinese costume performance jointly completed by the Chinese teachers of the Confucius Institute in Sofia and the students of the Confucius Classroom at the University of Ruse. The apparel from Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties included beizi (large loose outer coat with loose and long sleeves), hezi qun (the corset of Han women in ancient times), mamian qun (“horse-faced” skirt: a pleated skirt, its waist is mostly made of white cloth and is fastened with rope or knots), ruqun (a set of attire which consists of a separated upper garment and a wrap-around lower skirt). The fashion show also presented the playful and lovely modern qipao (also known as cheongsam: a Chinese dress worn by women which takes inspiration from the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people). The program also included 11 other wonderful performances including martial arts, guzheng (Chinese plucked zither), and violin.

During the pandemic, the Confucius Classroom at the University of Ruse also worked hard to promote Chinese culture in the Ruse area, attracting more people who are interested in Chinese to learn the language. The classroom has always hoped to do its best to showcase Chinese culture and China's excellent core values, so that more foreign friends can have a correct understanding of China.

Confucius Institute in Sofia

Text: Hu Yuan

Photos: Hu Yuan

Editors: Liu Xiuming, Liu Tianchao

Picture 1: The two vice rectors of the University of Ruse are welcoming the Chinese and Bulgarian directors of the Confucius Institute in Sofia into the classroom

Picture 2: Site 1 of the "Chinese Culture Greedy Snake" activity

Picture 3: Site 2 of the "Chinese Culture Greedy Snake" activity

Picture 4: Mrs. Aksinya Koleva, Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, is delivering a speech

Picture 5: Group photo of the participants in the Chinese cultural performance and the guests

Picture 6: Students of the University of Ruse wearing traditional Chinese clothes Hanfu