Happy New Year of the Ox! The biggest event on Chinese calendars is upon us once more: Chinese New Year. As always, staff and students at YCIS Shanghai celebrated the breadth of our host country’s culture. Here is a roundup of how the proceedings went in the 2021 celebrations.
Chinese Culture Week in ECE & Primary
From February 1–5, YCIS Pudong ECE and Primary hosted the ‘Chinese Culture Week’, a week of cultural activities, allowing students and teachers to explore different aspects of Chinese culture, which helped them gain greater insight and connection to China. During the week, ECE and Primary students experienced traditional arts and crafts making, learned traditional dances, tasted Chinese food, and participated in art projects with the school’s Artist-in-Residence (AIR).
Chinese Cultural Interactions in Secondary
In Secondary, Year 7 and Year 9 participated in Chinese Studies lessons, exploring the origins of their last names and then sharing their findings and thoughts with the whole school community. Year 8 students explored China’s eight regional cuisines and prepared final dishes, which they presented to a food-tasting panel of teachers. Finally, during lunch recesses, students played many different Chinese traditional sports and had a grand final ‘CNY House Competition’ on Friday.
Chinese New Year Celebration Day on Friday, February 5
Without any doubt, the highlight of the week was the Chinese New Year Celebration Day that took place on Friday, February 5. Even though parents, unfortunately, were still not able to enter the campuses, students had the chance to enjoy a variety of exciting activities throughout the day.
Some Highlights of the Celebration Day included:
- Dress Up Day: Students and staff alike came to school dressed up in amazing Chinese traditional or red clothes!
- Game Rooms: In the morning, Primary students explored various activities to fully engage with different Chinese cultural themes, including art, handicrafts, and games. ECE students had the opportunity to play numerous traditional Chinese games, such as stilt-walking, kicking shuttlecocks, rolling a hoop, diabolo, pitch-pot, and book reading, to name but a few. The games were run by Year 5 and Year 6 students as part of their Service Learning programme.
- House Activity: Secondary students participated in various Chinese traditional sporting games on the playground with opportunities to win House points. Each House also completed a group artwork and made House videos.
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Performance:
After lunchtime, the Regency Park campus courtyard transformed into a festive theatre, when ECE and Primary students performed together to celebrate the spirit of Chinese New Year. The event was live-streamed for parents and the YCIS Shanghai community to enjoy. If you missed it, watch the recording here.
Overall, it was another wonderful celebration had by all involved! We wish everyone a healthy and prosperous Chinese New Year, and we look forward to a memorable year ahead!
