Recently, the Emalus Campus of the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu held its annual Open Day. The Confucius Classroom of the Republic of Vanuatu, affiliated with the Confucius Institute at the University of the South Pacific, organized a series of cultural experience activities, including inviting students from Malapoa College who had just returned from China to share their experiences, learning to speak Chinese, painting Peking Opera masks, and tasting traditional food.
The most eye-catching event was the Chinese lion dance. Two "lions" circled and sparred with each other, competing for red envelopes and lettuce (as the word for lettuce sounds like "generating wealth" in Chinese). The audience was deeply captivated by the vivid performance and cheered along with the rhythm of the drums.
Zhao Yan, wife of the Chinese Ambassador, along with other embassy staff, visited the Confucius Classroom booth, bringing exquisite Chinese handicrafts for display. The Ambassador's wife also brought her own handmade paper-cutting works and taught the attendees how to create them. She was quickly surrounded by a large group of interested students. After learning paper-cutting, the students asked Ms. Zhao to write their names in Chinese. Upon seeing their names written in Chinese characters, they happily exclaimed, "I have a Chinese name now," and quickly called over more friends.
Finally, three local students from the Chinese community class and four doctors from the Chinese medical team sang "Tian Mi Mi" together, bringing the colorful day of Chinese cultural activities to a close. Many in the audience expressed that although they did not understand the lyrics, the melody was beautiful, Chinese culture is very interesting, and they look forward to the Confucius Institute hosting more such events.