The Confucius Institute in Sofia celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Global Confucius Institute Day and The National Day of the People's Republic of China

     On September 29, the Confucius Institute in Sofia held the event “Let’s Celebrate Together the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Global Confucius Institute Day, and the National Day of the People’s Republic of China”. More than 300 people attended the event, including Dr. Momchil Stanishev, Ph.D, Director of the Association for the Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European countries at the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture; Professor Nako Stefanov, Researcher of the Eastern Language and Culture Center of Sofia University and Honorary Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia; Mr. Hong Hai, Director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Sofia; Mr. Wang Pujian, President of the Bulgarian-China Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Marian Draganov, the Bulgarian reporter at Xinhua News Agency; Mr. Chen Jian, reporter at European Times; Mr. Stanislav Radev, representative of Mautai Bulgaria; Mrs. Aksiniya Koleva, Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia; Professor Liu Xiuming, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia; representatives, teachers and students from various Confucius classrooms and teaching sites of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, as well as local people.

     The event consisted of two parts: stage performance and cultural activity experience. At the beginning of the event, the two directors of the Confucius Institute in Sofia extended their greetings to the audience, thanked all parties for their strong support for the Confucius Institute, and briefly introduced the various activities carried out by the Confucius Institute in the past year and the achievements achieved.

     During the stage performance part, Chinese teachers from the Confucius Institute and students from Confucius Classrooms presented 8 unique performances including Chinese dance, Chinese musical instruments, Tai Chi, Chinese songs, and a video introduction to the "You and Me, in Beijing" summer camp activities, all followed by rounds of applause from the audience. The celebration kicked off with the fan dance "Blue and White Porcelain" performed by students from the Confucius Classroom at 138th Secondary School “Vassil Zlatarsky” in Sofia. The "Deep Night" ensemble performed on Chinese drum and Chinese bowed string instrument jinghu resonated throughout the hall, leaving a deep impression on the audience. The Chinese dance "Pear blossoms falling like snow " performed by Chinese teacher Li Mengxia aroused the enthusiasm of the visitors, who burst into warm applause. The Tai Chi performance combined hardness and softness, and each move made everyone feel the charm of Chinese martial arts. Karolina Yotova, a student from the Confucius Classroom at 18th Secondary School “William Gladstone” in Sofia, introduced the experience of the summer camp "You and Me in Beijing" and took the audience to visit beautiful Beijing and experience the colorful summer camp activities. The song "Love Must Be Frank" brought the event atmosphere to a new high. In addition, Li Bo, the newly appointed Chinese volunteer teacher at the Confucius Institute, performed the guqin piece "Wine Drunk", and Liu Zhitong and Du Sijie performed the bamboo flute ensemble "Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon", thus the audience experienced the diversity and different styles of Chinese music.

     In the subsequent cultural activity experience section, the audience tasted mooncakes of different flavors and Chinese tea, experienced cultural activities such as Chinese knots, calligraphy, paper cutting, painting, Five in a Row, and chopstick use, Chinese lessons, and also participated in the shuttlecock game jianzi, table tennis and other sports activities.

     At the end of the event, the guests were still reluctant to leave. Zdravko Gaydarov and Meral Gaydarovа, students in the Chinese course at the Confucius Institute, said they enjoyed this event very much and many scenes were vivid in their minds.

     This event created a strong atmosphere for the Mid-Autumn Festival, allowed local people to learn more about the Confucius Institute, provided a window for Bulgarians to discover and experience Chinese culture, and also stimulated the enthusiasm of Chinese learners and provided a platform for them to learn more about the Confucius Institute. Last but not least, the cultural exchange between China and Bulgaria has created more opportunities. The Confucius Institute in Sofia will continue to preserve the spirit and mission of the Confucius Institute, create friendships, and tell stories about China.

Confucius Institute in Sofia

Text: Huang Shihui

Photos: Liu Xiuming, Petya Shukerska

Editors: Liu Xiuming, Aksiniya Koleva

English translation: Dima Pironkova

Picture 1 The audience

Picture 2 The Chinese and Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia are giving a speech

Picture 3 Fan dance "Blue and White Porcelain" performed by students

Picture 4 Chinese dance "Wild Pears in the Snow" performed by Chinese teacher Li Mengxia

Picture 5 "Deep Night" ensemble performed on Chinese drum and Chinese bowed string instrument jinghu

Picture 6 Chinese volunteer teacher Du Sijie is performing "Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon" on a bamboo flute

Picture 7 Tai Chi performance

Picture 8 Chinese volunteer teacher Li Bo plays "Wine Drunk" on the traditional Chinese instrument guqin

Picture 9 Mr. Silvi Velev demonstrates calligraphy

Picture 10 A group photo of the audience and the guests