This year marks the first Spring Festival following its inscription on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. To commemorate the occasion, the Chinese Spark team from Huaqiao University (HQU) organized a series of activities themed “Savor the Flavor of Spring Festival” in 19 schools in 12 regions of 8 countries: Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, Pakistan, Mauritius, Cambodia, and the Philippines. Nearly 4,000 local primary and secondary school students joined the events. This is also the ninth consecutive year that the Chinese Spark has carried out Spring Festival themed activities overseas.

The team introduced the Spring Festival culture in class. At Prasanmit Witthaya School of Thailand, volunteer Zhang Haozhe shared his insights on the diverse values embodied in Spring Festival, “The recognition of the Spring Festival as world heritage shows that it is no longer just a national festival; it has transcended borders and become a cultural feast shared by all mankind.” This year also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand, so Thai volunteers specifically included Sino-Thai railway and educational cooperation in their presentation, allowing more students to feel the close bond between the two nations.

In addition to cultural classes, the team held a variety of engaging activities on campus. Eleven schools across Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam took on a new look with Spring festival decorations like Year of the Snake paintings, lanterns with blessing characters, and Spring Festival couplets. Local students and their parents were attracted to the fun fair to experience the auspicious vibe in person. They tried rubbing copies of Fu characters, created paper quilling artworks, made zanhua(floral headdress), lacquered fans and paper cutting, and learned Chinese calligraphy.

Outside schools, the team prepared intangible cultural heritage shows for larger audience. In Mauritius, volunteer Chen Kwok-ping joined the lion dance team of the Chinese community in Port Louis upon returning home. They performed lions and dragon dances along the streets and alleys during the Spring Festival.

Additionally, the Chinese Spark team also leveraged social media to amplify the reach of the Spring Festival culture. Volunteers posted nearly 100 celebration activity videos on Instagram, Facebook and other platforms, which received more than 20,000 views.

HQU’s Chinese Spark team also attracted attention from local media, and their activities were reported on Thai National Television, Thailand 7HD Radio, China Daily (Bangkok office), Indonesia Daily, Indonesia Metro Riau newspaper, Indonesia Riau POS, and Ini TV riau. In Thailand, the Chinese Spark team was invited to the Third District of the Primary Education Service in Sisaket to exchange with local officials where they wrote Fu characters and Spring Festival couplets together.

Since 2016, the Chinese Spark teams have visited 79 regions across 20 countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia and Mauritius. They have established long-term partnerships with 122 overseas schools and institutions, spreading Chinese culture to more than 70,000 primary and secondary school students worldwide.

Volunteer and students in a class on Spring Festival customs atPrasanmit Wittaaya School in Sisaket, Thailand

Indonesian volunteer Hu Zhishu in a class on Spring Festival customs (from Ini TV Riau’report )

Participant and volunteers in Intangible cultural heritage activities at Sisaket Rajabhat School, Thailand

Paper cutting class at Lao-Chinese Bilingual School of Vientiane

Dragon and lion dances attract Mauritian people

Spring Festival activity videos posted on overseas social media

Screenshots of reports from domestic and overseas media

(Editor: Wei Linying)