Teachers and students of the Confucius Classroom with Chinese dragon ornaments in front of the Nicolaus Copernicus Monument
On February 3rd local time, accompanied by drums and gongs as well as pieces of Chinese music, a dragon dance featuring jubilance and agility was performed in a cheerful manner in Toruń, hometown of Nicholas Copernicus, an ancient city in north central Poland. The event attracted a lot of local audience. The “Happy Chinese New Year” celebrations, organized by Confucius Classroom at Jagiellonian College, were brought to a climax. After the parade, a number of local residents assembled to the Hall of Jagiellonian College to jumpstart the Chinese New Year alongside teachers and students.
Grzegorz Gorski, Foreign Director of the Confucius Classroom at Jagiellonian College, addressed a welcome speech and awarded winners of the “Love Dogs in the Year of the Dog” Photography Contest, which had been held on the official website of the Confucius Classroom earlier on. Andrea Majewski, a Polish priest, then delivered a keynote speech centering on the Power of Confucius, in which he compared the concepts of benevolence, righteousness, manners, wisdom and credit in traditional Confucius thoughts with the concepts of kindness and virtue in Western beliefs and pointed out that powers of virtues are common and similar. His unique insights expressed in a lively manner were lauded by the audience.
A father and his sons, all students of the Confucius Classroom
Teachers and students of the Confucius Classroom performing songs and dances
Children’s chopsticks contest
The well-rehearsed songs and dances by teachers and students of the Confucius Classroom won rounds of applauses during the celebrations. Local citizens who attended the calligraphy courses were delighted to bring home the fans and white porcelain cups of their own making. Children participated in the chopsticks contest and learned to make dog-shaped headwear. Wang Ruoxuan, Chinese Director of the Confucius Classroom gave a vivid Chinese language demonstration class and many citizens on site registered for Chinese courses in the new semester. Pilarski, a local citizen, together with his six children, experienced dragon dance, paper-cutting and calligraphy, tasted Chinese food, and listened to Chinese courses in the Confucius Classroom. He said, “Chinese New Year activities of this year have substantial cultural implications. My children, as myself, enjoy it a lot. And lectures and courses are also very interesting”. In order to encourage his children to learn Chinese, Pilarski, his 14-year-old daughter, and his 10-year-old son have registered for courses in the Confucius Classroom. Pilarski also encouraged his other two daughters to take part in the upcoming Chinese winter camp for the youth organized by the Confucius Classroom. (cited from Confucius Institute Headquarters, source: CRI Online, Story by Shi Guang)