Source: School of Foreign Languages
Written by: School of Foreign Languages
Translated by: Peng Ting
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On September 21, 2014, a cultural exchange activity for Chinese and Japanese college students was held in School of Foreign Languages (FLS), Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU). The event was organized by FLS Guangzhou Center for “Face-to-face Exchanges” (CFFE), jointly undertaken by students of Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University and juniors of Japanese major from FLS.

The theme of the event was Tanabata, a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. The grand hall of FLS building was divided into four parts, including the stage, the display area, the Origami area and the Yukata area, where guests had pleasant interactions with students in the festive atmosphere.

Students from Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University introduced themselves in Chinese, captivating the attention of Chinese audiences immediately. Then, the video of Sendai Tanabata festival was played, showing the vitality of Japanese people after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and their positive hope for the future.

On the stage, there were interesting activities such as Chinese and Japanese cultural quiz, Chinese folk dance, Peking Opera, folk costume experience, watermelon competition and Japanese ballad show. In the display area, there were introductions to Sendai Tanabata and tourism in northeastern Japan, as well as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and disaster prevention. In the Origami area, guests learned to make the origami such as the cowherd and the weaving girl, yukata and Japanese circular fan, etc. The Yukata area was so popular that girls eagerly tried the yukata on and took photos with each other.

The event ended with an Obon dance. Guests and the students danced together, making a spectacular scenery.

It was the third year in a row that the CFFE held cultural exchange activities for Chinese and Japanese college students.