To expand cultural practice opportunities for international students in China, enable them to perceive the profound heritage of traditional Chinese festivals at close range, and build a bridge for exchanges between Chinese and foreign civilizations, the School of International Education recently organized on-campus international students to visit Heping Subdistrict Community, Boda Garden Community and Yingchunyuan Community for an immersive cultural experience of Dragon Boat Festival folk customs, allowing international students to personally experience the unique oriental romance of this festival.

During the event, community staff introduced the origin, folk customs and cultural implications of the Dragon Boat Festival, and explained the cultural connotations behind traditions such as making zongzi, crafting sachets, weaving five-color silk threads and arranging wormwood bouquets. With one-on-one guidance from volunteers, international students got hands-on experience in these folk activities. They immersed themselves in traditions of hanging wormwood for blessings and warding off misfortune, experiencing the unique charm of folk customs through practice. The event was held in a warm and lively atmosphere.

The international students remarked that this community activity was vivid and fun. They encountered authentic traditional Chinese folk customs and truly felt the warmth and charm of Chinese festival culture. They pledged to act as cultural exchange ambassadors, sharing Dragon Boat Festival stories and Chinese culture with friends back home.

Relying on university-local co-built platforms such as national conditions education bases and taking traditional festivals as the link, this activity provided an off-campus cultural experience class for international students and deepened their understanding of China’s national conditions and traditional culture. Moving forward, the School will further strengthen university-local cooperation and launch more distinctive cultural practice activities, helping international students understand China, befriend China and tell Chinese stories well.