Bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new! The 2024 Online Chinese Lunar New Year Gala of Confucius Institutes will be held on the Confucius Institute global portal, ci.cn, on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the birth of Confucius Institutes. The Online Gala this year, themed “NIAN,” conveys the message of never forgetting the 20-year journey of Confucius Institutes. Let us invite Confucius Institute members worldwide to join hands and kick off the celebration of the 20th birthday of CIs with a grand gala.
The Online Gala production team has meticulously chosen the finest selections from 270 programs submitted by 93 Confucius Institutes across 59 countries to create this Online Chinese Lunar New Year Gala. On this creatively curated stage, Chinese and foreign teachers and students collaborate to present a diverse array of programs in the Chinese language, coming together in celebration and showcasing the educational achievements of CIs as well as the fusion of Chinese and foreign cultural arts. The dance performance “Spring Garment as Painted” integrates various dance forms including traditional sleeve dance, Dunhuang dance, long-drum dance of the Korean ethnic group, duet dance of the Dai ethnic group, and water sleeve dance, while incorporating multiple elements such as Tai Chi, calligraphy, martial arts, and opera. It displays the timeless allure of Chinese art through graceful movements and ink-style editing. Crosstalk performances “The Art of Eating” and “Fun Tales of Learning Chinese” feature students from South Korea and Madagascar, who skillfully weave their experiences of learning Chinese into engaging narratives and vividly reproduce the challenges and joys of Chinese learning and cultural exchange with subtle details. “Dragon Rhythms” exudes the characteristics and charm of the Year of the Dragon as students from Malaysia and Panama jointly present the profound heritage of Chinese culture through music, dance, and martial arts. The poetry recitation “Poetic Rhyme” eloquently conveys the beautiful emotions of humanity through Chinese characters and poetry recited by CI students.
The special short video “20 Years with Confucius Institutes” affectionately looks back on the 20-year journey of Confucius Institutes. Four institute directors emotionally narrate the stories and changes of this journey, from the inception of ideas to the dynamic global presence of CIs today. This is not only a record of history but also a prelude to the future. Over the past 20 years, CIs have remained steadfast in their original mission of facilitating people-to-people connectivity with language learning and cultural exchanges. The development and growth of CIs throughout the past two decades have been the collective efforts of successive Chinese and foreign directors, teachers, volunteers, and all CI members. We all look forward to the future, where Confucius Institutes will continue to make new contributions to enhancing friendship between China and foreign countries and promoting educational and cultural exchanges!
For more exciting content, watch the 2024 Online Chinese Lunar New Year Gala of Confucius Institutes on the Confucius Institute global portal, ci.cn!
