Blending the Chinese Flavor with the International Style, International Students Gather in Shenyang to Celebrate the Preliminary Eve of the Lunar New Year

The 23rd day of the 12th lunar month marks a traditional Chinese festival called Xiaonian or the Preliminary Eve of the Lunar New Year. The customs of eating dumplings, making paper-cuts for window decoration, enjoying Zaotang (candies for the Kitchen God) and painting New Year pictures on this day truly amazed our foreign friends.

On January 14, the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, the School of International Education of Shenyang Normal University held a themed event of "Gathering in Shenyang and Spending a Happy Chinese New Year Together" to offer international students better experience of Chinese culture.

The event [Photo by Li Peixuan]

Twenty-seven students from India, Japan, Madagascar, Mongolia, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam and other countries and regions experienced the charm of intangible cultural heritage at the event.

Li Ruiqun shows pyrography at the event. [Photo by Li Peixuan]

Li Ruiqun, a master of China's arts and crafts, Chinese state gift artist, and representative inheritor of the pyrography project of China's intangible cultural heritage at the provincial level, showed pyrography to international students. When he put soldering iron gently on the paper, light smoke slowly wafted from the paper, and lifelike shrimps appeared. The international students took out their mobile phones to capture this wonderful moment.

Feng Yuanping demonstrates paper-cutting skills. [Photo by Li Peixuan]

Yu Qiquan shows Yu's dough figurines. [Photo by Li Peixuan]

A grilled sausage made by international students using dough [Photo by Yang Wei]

The international students also formed teams to take part in the dumpling-making contest, creating a happy and harmonious atmosphere.

Dumpling-making contest [Photo by Li Peixuan]

After a cultural exchange between China and foreign countries, the students not only experienced the culture of the Chinese Lunar New Year, but also spent a remarkable day learning about making skills of intangible cultural heritage.