On the night of June 3, a party was held by the School of Foreign Language Studies in honor of the Dragon Boat Festival. Foreign friends, faculty members and students of the School of Foreign Language Studies, students from other majors, assembled in the Student Center.

All were welcomed by hosts and hostesses dressed in Hanfu who presented each guest with realgar wine, colorful threads and a perfume pouch, and they explained to the foreigners that these implied good wishes to ward off evil spirits and bring peace, health and happiness. Foreign friends have a better understanding of the festival, after students played a drama “Dragon Boat Emotion” to tell the story of Qu Yuan and the Dragon Boat Festival dating back to about 2,000 years ago.

Wrapping Zongzi was the climax of the party, full of fun. The students packed the prepared glutinous rice with red dates and peanuts into the reed leaves and then the teachers put on the ropes. Foreigners were extremely excited. Even though their Zongzi were in peculiar shapes, they were very proud, showing off their finished Zongzi.

Zhao Zhongye, a foreign student from the University of Nottingham, Ningbo, said that he was deeply impressed by such a wonderful party, through which he understood a lot of Chinese culture.

Prof. Wang Dehua, one of the chief sponsors, commented that this party not only carried forward the Chinese traditional culture, but also promoted the exchanges between the Chinese and foreign friends.