"Chinese Day" Activities Made a Hit at Padova National Culture Festival

Guangzhou University, 18 May,2014:The festivity of "Chinese and Chinese Culture", bearing the theme of “Chinese Cultural Essence”, gained wide acclaim from the local visitors in the 24th Padova National Culture Festival.

It is known that the “Padova National Culture Festival（Festa dei Popoli a Padova）” is a national cultural exchange activity organized by the Padova Municipal Government, which aims to “Spread the different culture value, call for peace and initiate dialogue between ethnic groups”. This activity is held annually since 1991, and all ethnic groups inhabited in Padova will take part in this activity.

This year’s festivity was co-organized by the Confucius Institute of Padova University, and the Venice Overseas Chinese Association. "Stand Display" brought the visitors to intimate contact with Chinese traditional culture and art: Chinese textbooks, Chinese classroom experience, calligraphy competitions, traditional stationery, ethnic clothing display, paper-cutting, hand weaving rattan craft and so forth. In the most appealing Chinese calligraphy performance, exchange students brushed the names of foreign guests on the gift books, and demonstrated their excellence in art.

"Stage Performance", featured with Shaolin Kongfu, Dragon Dance, Lion Dance, folk dance “The Lotus Pool by Moonlight” , aroused the sentiment of audience, and from time to time waves of warm applause broke out. At last, the dean of the Confucius Institute, Mr. Liu Huichun, performed calligraphy by brushing a poem of Wang Zhihuan “The Stork Tower”, Cai Xiyue, an exchange student, performed Guzheng “Early Spring Jokul” as a perfect ending of this activity.

“’Chinese Day’ activities provides a platform to allow more international friends to understand our country and language” , commented by the Confucius Institute official, “ the success is attributed to the efforts of Venice Overseas Chinese Association. The participation of our students and teachers strengthened the spread of our national culture and promote our profound Chinese culture.

Contributed byLiu Qiaoting, students journalist and Ye Bijun from the Confucius Institute of Padova University;

Photographer: Liu Qiaoting;

Chinese editor:Wu Qian;

English editor: Peng Nianfan