Last Sunday, on the 14th of October, YAFA had the pleasure of hosting a Chinese Traditional Cultural Experience, an event held in cooperation with other Peking University associations such as Geek Lab and the International Student Association.
With autumn quickly passing by, and the cold Peking winter just around the corner, this event gave Peking University Students from all around the world a chance to escape into the joy of Chinese traditional culture. The turnout was even better than had been expected, so much so that an extra time slot had to be added so that everybody could take part. The interest from Chinese students was not any less than from our foreign friends. Whether it was interest in learning about the Chinese culture or rather an interest in meeting new foreign friends is not clear, but it is certain that everybody had a great time and got to meet a lot of new people.
To start off the event our good friend 小赫 (xiaohe) from the start-up company Do.U.Like Studio gave a presentation on the upcoming Chinese double ninth festival which has a tradition of over 2000 years. He then introduced many Chinese practices, historical figures and concepts from traditional culture such as the old agricultural calendar and the philosophy of Yin and Yang.
After a very exciting and educational introduction everybody got a chance to master the art of Chinese cuisine. With a little help from Chinese expert chefs, the students made some jasmine and red bean flavoured rice cakes (重阳糕) which are a traditional dish eaten during the double ninth festival. Even though there were some mixed results from the cake making, there was no need to worry because the chefs had already made delicious rice cakes for everyone to enjoy. Some students then followed the tradition of putting the cake on their forehead before eating, which according to ancient tales, is supposed to make you grow taller.
Peking University Costume Culture Communication Association also came to the gathering. They brought with them a variety of magnificent Chinese traditional clothing, giving the students a chance to cultivate their inner Chinese spirit, looking like the masters and upper-class women of the old dynasties. The Tea Association was also there revealing the secrets behind the perfect cup of tea, and introducing many of the customs of Chinese tea drinking. They prepared some excellent black tea as well as white tea, while sharing with us the wisdom and history that tea culture in China has to carry.
At the end of the event there was a lottery, where all the students had a chance to win the grand prize, many leaving with not only a big smile on their face but also a huge box filled with delicious fruit snacks. This was a good ending to this fun event that not only gave the students a better understanding of the Chinese traditional culture, but also gave them some good memories that they will hopefully cherish for the rest of their lifes. We would like to thank everybody who helped make this event a reality, also we want to thank everybody who came to the event and hope they will continue to come to YAFA’s future events.
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