The Confucius Classroom in The Southwest University, Associated to The Confucius Institute in Sofia, Has Organised an Event Named Celebrating The Lantern Festival with A Joyful Reunion

On 27th February 2024, the Confucius Classroom in the Southwest University in Blagoevgrad, associated to the Confucius Institute in Sofia, has held a celebration of the Lantern Festival. Mr. Yang Tian, Head of the educational department of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, Prof. Liu Xiuming, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Mr. Radoslav Tsonev, Dean of the Faculty of Linguistics in the Southwest University, Mrs Dafina Kostadinova, vice-Dean of the Southwest University, teachers and students of the school, as well as more than one hundred local people, have attended the event.

The Dean Mr. Radoslav Tsonev has thanked the Confucius Institute in Sofia for their great support to the Confucius Classroom in the Southwest University in terms of Chinese language teaching and cultural exchange, and has expressed his hopes to continue to maintain friendly cooperation with the Confucius Institute in Sofia. Professor Liu Xiuming has conveyed his best wishes for the Chinese New Year to the teachers and the students of the SWU. He has reviewed the fruitful achievements of the Confucius Classroom at SWU since its establishment, and has invited more students to learn Chinese language and Chinese culture so as to become ambassadors of the humanistic exchange between China and Bulgaria. Mr. Yang Tian has introduced the Chinese Ambassador Scholarship to the students and has donated Chinese books and audio-visual resources for the Confucius Classroom at the SWU.

The event has consisted of two parts: a cultural programme and a workshop experience. The cultural programme has featured teachers and students from China and Bulgaria performing songs and dances from each other's countries in each other's languages, and interpreting their own understanding of the different civilisations. The opening costume display ceremony showcased the uniqueness and the exquisiteness of the traditional costumes of China and Bulgaria. Students from the Southwest University have recited the classical Chinese poem The Lantern Festival, which has brought us a glimpse of the prosperous scene of the Song people celebrating the Lantern Festival a thousand years ago. The Chinese students have recited the poem To The Sky in Bulgarian, by which they have expressed their aspirations for a better life in the future. Several Confucius Classroom students dressed in traditional Chinese Tibetan costumes have sung Tibetan songs, and the chorus of the iconic song A Bulgarian Rose has lit up the audience's enthusiasm. Local students have performed traditional dances from China and Bulgaria in different genres that have been either light and soft or passionate ones. In addition, the teachers and the students of the Confucius Classroom have also presented a Guqin performance, a Taiji performance with fans, Chinese tongue twisters, and a children's choir has joined the event by singing songs, etc. The atmosphere has been warm and enthusiastic.

The teachers and the students of the Confucius Classroom have elaborately set up workshops for calligraphy and tea ceremony, as well as for traditional games such as Chinese chess, shuttlecock, chopstick challenges, etc., which have been a mix of static and dynamic experience and have attacted the interest of the audience. At the same time, a lanternriddle-guessing game has been presented in tune with the traditions of the Lantern Festival in which the audience enthusiastically participated to experience the ancient Chinese cultural customs. In addition, there has been a special lucky draw moment for sending Lantern Festival blessings to the audience.

These activities have demonstrated the excellent Chinese language level of the students at the Confucius Classroom at the Southwest University, which has been an example of the smooth process of language and culture exchange between China and Bulgaria. The event has provided a window for the local people to perceive and to understand China, and has further enhanced the influence of the Confucius Classroom in the local community.

Confucius Institute in Sofia

Text：Li Bo

Photos：Biliana Isaeva, Li Bo

Editors：Aksinia Koleva, ChenChen, Liu Xiuming

English translation: Maya Kostadinova

202402 3 1 Picture1. Mr. Radoslav Tsonev - Dean of the Faculty of Linguistics in the Southwest University and Prof. Liu Xiuming - the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, pose for a photo.