Dragon Boat Festival Event

The BCI hosted an in-person event to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival on 31 May. 

We had been very much looking forward to hosting this event for some time, as it had been three years since we were able to have an in-person activity of this nature due to COVID restrictions. We knew that our students would appreciate the opportunity to spend some time learning about traditional Chinese culture. 

Prof Zhang Xiaofeng, the new BCI Chinese Director, gave the welcoming and closing speeches for the event, which was her first-time meeting with our students since her arrival a few months ago. 

The teachers shared their knowledge of Chinese culture, customs, language, and food surrounding the Dragon Boat Festival. As discussed during the event, Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar (usually at the end of May or the beginning of June). 

It has been celebrated for hundreds of years to remember Qu Yuan 屈原 - a famous poet from ancient China who drowned himself after being falsely accused of treason and exile by his king - but has grown into something more akin to a celebration of life than a remembrance of death. 

In traditional celebrations in China, people do dragon boat racing, have traditional food Zongzi 粽子, and wear special five-colour string bracelets. 

Cao Yujie taught students two poems related to the Dragon Boat Festival: Duanwu《端午》 by Tang Dynasty poet Wen Xiu 文秀 and Huan Xi Sha· Duanwu 《浣溪沙· 端午》 by Song Dynasty poet Su Shi 苏轼. 

Our BCI teachers then took students through workshops on making their own five-colour string bracelet, representing a wish of a long and happy life, and a Dragon Boat paper craft. 

Everyone had a great time, and our students were able to walk away with some new friends and knowledge about the history of this festival. 

We look forward to seeing you at our future events.