Mid-Autumn Festival 2025

The Mid-Autumn Festival in 2025 will be celebrated on Monday, 6 October. To spread the joy, our Chinese language teachers in Wuhan, China, introduced mooncakes to some international students at Central China Normal University and filmed their first reactions of tasting mooncakes. The students also shared stories about their own food from home. This a wonderful cultural exchange to bring people together to celebrate this festival.

Wishing you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Dragon Boat Festival 2025

The Dragon Boat Festival in 2025 will be celebrated on Saturday, 31 May. To mark the occasion, our Chinese language teachers have created a special video tutorial on how to paper-fold a “zongzi”—the iconic sticky rice dumpling traditionally enjoyed during this festival. More than just a festive treat, zongzi is a cherished symbol of cultural heritage that brings families and friends together, benefits local businesses, and offers a timeless taste of China.

Happy Chinese New Year 2025

The Chinese New Year 2025 will fall on Wednesday, 29 January 2025. To celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Wood Snake, Our Chinese language teachers have created a video to introduce the cultural richness and symbolism of the snake. Let us embrace the wisdom, resilience, and vitality that the Wood Snake will bring. May the new year bless us with growth, prosperity, and harmony.

Happy 2025! Happy the Year of the Wood Snake!

The Mid-Autumn Festival 2024

The Mid-Autumn Festival (Chinese: 中秋节; pinyin: zhōng qiū jié), celebrated annually on the 15^th day of the 8^th lunar month in China, will fall on the 17^th of September in 2024. Today's cultural festivity blends tradition with modernity. Old custom like mooncake making, moon gazing, and riddle guessing has evolved, and enriched by creative ways of celebration.

During CI teaching team’s visit to Newcastle around the end of August 2024, CI staff and students enjoyed an impromptu and wonderful moment to practise “The Moon Represents My hearts”. A beautiful song to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival!

In the past, scholars and literati expressed their blessings and memories through poetry. Today, students at the Confucius Institute are having some fun to celebrate this special occasion by sharing their Chinese calligraphy for Mid-Autumn Festival greetings.

Dragon Boat Festival 2024

The Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated annually on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in China, will fall on the 10^th of June in 2024. It is a cultural event characterized by zongzi “sticky rice dumpling” (Chinese: 粽子, Pinyin: zòng zi) consumption and dragon boat (Chinese: 龙舟, Pinyin: lóng zhōu) racing. The festival may come from the ancient custom of the Wu and Yue ethnic groups that revered dragons as their totemic symbol. While Dragon Boat Racing served as a semi-religious celebration in the past, today it is a thrilling sporting event and a cherished cultural tradition.

The Year of the Wood Dragon

The Chinese New Year will fall on the 10^th of February in 2024. To celebrate the upcoming Year of the Dragon (Wood is the element this year), CI teachers have produced a “behind-the-scenes” video of the dragon dance competition at Central China Normal University. This article also highlights the diverse interpretations of the origin and cultural significance of the dragon.

All about the Moon: Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival will fall on the 29^th of September in 2023. To celebrate this occasion, CI student Elizabeth Smyth delivered a beautiful Chinese love song through her exceptional singing talent. CI teachers and CCNU’s international students also took us shopping for mooncakes in Wuhan. Happy Mooncake Festival!

CI Got Talents: Rap Song About Dragon Boat Festival

Why not embrace both our tradition through a poem and a modern twist with a rap song to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival! Our talented CI teacher from Generation Z retold the legendary origin of this festival in a truly original and creative style. With the help of Pinyin and the English translation, you may even be able to rap along too. Please enjoy!

Chinese New Year 2023 – The Year of the Rabbit

As we farewell the Year of the Tiger with now the Water Rabbit (Chinese: 水兔; pinyin: shuǐ tù) on our doorstep, we will be welcoming a change of pace for better health, prosperity, and peace. Rabbit symbolizes growth, rebirth, and gentleness. We wish you a Happy Year of the Rabbit full of blessings!

Chinese New Year 2022 – The Year of Tiger

Fancy to learn about the Chinese zodiac animals? Be curious about what the Tiger symbolizes and how Chinese people celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year? Please read this interesting introduction article.

Dragon Boat Festival: More than just dragon boat racing

The origin of the Dragon Boat Festival can be a mystery, whatever that might be. The celebration these days is more about family ties and community engagement to establish a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature for a better future!

The Mid-Autumn Festival: Celebrating the Mandala of the Sky

Originated from China’s thousands of years of ancient practice “celestial worship of the full moon”, one of its legends painted a story of love and betrayal. These days, the festival has evolved into a family reunion by celebrating the full moon to find harmony in life.