As the Spring Festival approaches and the festive atmosphere grows, teachers and students at the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus come together to make dumplings, write couplets, paste the character “Fu” (symbolizing good luck), and hang lanterns. They have created a joyful “Chinese New Year” atmosphere at the Kazakhstan branch campus. From snowy Almaty, they send their Spring Festival blessings to everyone!
Learning, Exchange, and Experience: A Deep Dive into Spring Festival Culture
The Kazakhstan branch campus first held a lecture on Spring Festival culture, providing a detailed introduction to the origins and customs of the festival. Everyone watched videos about Spring Festival culture together, and students also shared insights into Kazakhstan's zodiac culture and New Year traditions.
During the cultural experience session, students personally made Spring Festival lanterns, cut window paper-cuts, and learned to sing traditional Spring Festival songs, immersing themselves in the joyful and peaceful atmosphere of the festival.
“Making my lantern is a fun experience, and my lantern has the meaning of ‘wealth-bringing.’ I see it as a good omen for the coming year,” said student Yergaliyeva Zhadyra.
Baitursyn Aliya added, “I think it's fun to make lanterns with my classmates. We are happy to learn these auspicious words from paper-cutting and couplets and to share them with our families.”
Writing “Fu” Characters and Pasting Spring Couplets: Decorating the Kazakhstan Branch Campus for the Chinese New Year
The Kazakhstan branch campus specially organized activities to write and paste the character “Fu”. Students not only decorated the campus with bright red couplets, adding to the festive atmosphere but also took these New Year blessings home to share with their family and friends, sharing greetings from China.
Bapiyeva Yelizaveta shared, “The process of making lanterns and paper-cutting by hand is truly wonderful.” Abiirbek Kuanysh humorously added, “My blessing is ‘Snake brings steady, its strength at full power,’ and I believe it will give me great strength in the coming year.”
Making Dumplings for Family and Friends: Conveying Affection through Traditional Cuisine
Through the flipped classroom teaching of the “Overview of China” course, students deeply explored the cultural connection between the Spring Festival and dumplings during group presentations. On the day of the dumpling-making activity, students gathered together, wearing aprons in the style of "Ma Mian Qun" (a traditional Chinese skirt), and using “Made in China” electric cookers. They kneaded dough, rolled out wrappers, made dumplings, cooked them, and enjoyed the fruits of their labor. Two student representatives took the ingredients home to make and share this Chinese delicacy with their families.
Student Aibar (Spatayev Aibar) excitedly said, “These cultural activities are very interesting. They not only allow us to experience Chinese food but also bring all the students together, strengthening our bonds like a team-building activity.” Abiirbek Kuanysh reflected, “I can’t believe I completed the entire dumpling-making process by myself at home. It was tiring but very fulfilling.”
Reflections on Learning: Unity of Knowledge and Action, Full of Warmth
The series of Spring Festival cultural activities received unanimous praise from the students. Ibragimov Rustem said, “I enjoyed our New Year celebrations. I've never made a lantern before, and it was so much fun.” Saurambayeva Adiya reflected, “I truly cherished the warmth and joy of celebrating Chinese New Year at our campus. Dumplings symbolize unity and prosperity, and the activity of making dumplings together created a strong sense of connection among classmates.”
Looking back at 2024, the Kazakhstan branch campus, through its diverse courses and cultural activities, guided students to deeply understand the connotations and significance of Chinese culture from both theoretical and practical perspectives. This approach not only enhanced friendship and cohesion among students but also encouraged them to become “storytellers” and “disseminators” of Chinese culture.
Moving forward, the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus will continue to deeply engage in international education, introducing more diverse teaching programs and cultural activities. This will comprehensively enhance the student’s overall literacy from multiple perspectives. We look forward to our students growing into well-rounded talents with international vision and cross-cultural communication abilities, contributing to the advancement of Sino-Kazakh friendship with solid professional knowledge, rich cultural heritage, and an open, inclusive spirit.
Source: International College
Translator: Mei Leyun
