The Confucius Institute In Sofia Have Participated In the Fifth Edition Of the Asian Festival In Bulgaria

On 14th June 2025, the Confucius Institute in Sofia have taken part in the 5th Asian Festival organized in the South Park in Sofia. The event has been hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria and has been organised by the Chinese Cultural Centre in Sofia, with the participation of the embassies of ten Asian countries in Bulgaria, among which those of Indonesia, Vietnam and South Korea. Mrs Iliana Yotova - the vice-President of Bulgaria, Mr Pavlin Petrov – the vice-Minister of tourism, Mr Ivan Vasilev - the Deputy Mayor of Sofia and Mrs Wang Min – the temporary head of the mission of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, have attended the opening ceremony. The event has attracted more than 20,000 visitors.
Under the theme of ‘Asia In Harmony’, the event has featured more than 60 booths and more than 40 stage performances, showcasing the diversity of the Asian civilisations through music, dance, food and other forms.
The Confucius Institute in Sofia have elaborately set up a Chinese culture workshop to provide the audience with traditional Chinese art experiences such as calligraphy, paper-cutting, face painting and drawing. In addition, the teachers of the Confucius Institute have acquainted the audience with the history and the production of shadow puppets, the health benefits of the Eight Brocades Qigong Exercises (Baduanjin), and have demonstrated the diverse ways to play diabolo through mini-classes and fun activities. In addition to the Chinese teaching materials, more than ten Chinese printed versions of the children’s book ‘The Adventures of Yan Bibiyan’ by the famous Bulgarian writer Elin Pelin, have been arranged on a special display. The audience have actively participated in the interactive programmes and have responded enthusiastically.
This year's Asian Festival has vividly conveyed the concept ‘May each one cherish their own beauty, and may everyone cherish the beauty of each other’. The scale of the event has been the largest one ever.

The Confucius Institute in Sofia
Text: Wang Yan
Photos: Prof. Chen Ying, Huang Jun, Xiang Han, Wang Yan
Editors: Prof.Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva, Chen Chen
English translation: Maya Kostadinova

Picture 1. Experiencing calligraphy

Picture 2. Experiencing drawing

Picture 3. Teachers from the Confucius Institute in Sofia introducing shadow puppetry

Picture 4. Practising diabolo

Figure 5. Trying the Eight Brocades Qigong Exercises (Baduanjin)

Picture 6. A group photo at the venue