The sacred roof beasts of the Forbidden City gaze upon the passage of time; the river of solar terms flows through four seasons. Indeed, Hongkou Campus has just concluded hosting its annual Chinese Culture Week! First graders explored millennium-old treasures of the imperial palace, while second graders traced the ancient wisdom of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms. It was a week of cultural delights for all students at Hongkou Campus.

First Grade: Dragons Soar Over the Forbidden City

First graders embarked on an extraordinary cultural journey titled "Dragons Soar Over the Forbidden City." Through diverse activities, children immersed themselves in the Palace Museum's grandeur while discovering just how profound Chinese culture really is.

Virtual Tour: First Glimpse of Treasures

On Monday, students commenced a virtual tour of the Palace Museum through online videos. They studied iconic structures including the Meridian Gate, Hall of Supreme Harmony, and Palace of Heavenly Purity while discovering the rare artifacts housed within. After viewing, children illustrated their favorite palace treasures with paintbrushes, showcasing unique artistic perspectives.

Creative Compound Characters: Painting Auspicious Phrases

Tuesday brought students into the fascinating world of compound characters - "Auspicious Character Art." Teachers drew parallels between the Palace's architectural integration and character composition, starting from basic characters like 明 (bright: 日+月) and 男 (male: 田+力) before progressing to four-character blessings. Students became designers, merging phrases like "招财进宝" (Wealth and Prosperity) and "春和景明" (Spring Harmony) through shared strokes. Creative innovations included blending "开门见喜" (Joy Upon Opening Doors) and even designing a compound logo for SHSID, demonstrating boundless imagination.

Sacred Roof Beasts: Coloring Legends

Wednesday focused on the palace’s mythical roof guardians. Through videos and storytelling, children learned about the Immortal Riding a Phoenix, Suanni (mythical lion), Xiezhi (justice beast), and each guardian’s symbolic meaning. Students then colored their chosen beasts vibrantly, annotating their selections with personal interpretations of these cultural icons.

Historical Cosplay: Bridging Past and Present

On Thursday, the campus transformed into a time portal as children donned Ming-Qing attire. Costumes ranged from emperors and princes to generals, imperial guards, princesses, court musicians, scholars with floral hairpins, and Daoist mystics. Students sketched their outfits while writing character analyses and engaging in time traveling dialogues through role-play.

Palace Quiz: Knowledge Recap

Friday concluded with a trivia competition called "I Know the Palace." Confident students enthusiastically answered questions about architecture and historical figures. The week culminated in reflective journal entries documenting cultural insights, completing this immersive experience.

The "Dragons Soar Over the Forbidden City" program not only exposed first graders to imperial splendor but also ignited their passion for traditional culture through integrated teaching.

Second Grade: Solar Terms Through Millennia

Following nature's cadence of growth and harvest, second graders became time travelers navigating the Twenty-Four Solar Terms. They measured seasons with poetry and decoded agricultural wisdom through handicrafts, revitalizing ancient heritage through their youthful eyes.

Rhythms of Seasons: Multimedia Immersion

Monday dawned with children's voices chanting the "24 Solar Terms Song." Students clapped along to the melody while absorbing farming wisdom from verses like "Plant wheat at Qingming, sow fields at Guyu." Animated solar term characters introduced customs, including eating spring pancakes at Lichun, picking tea at Guyu, and more. Art classes yielded hand-painted bookmarks depicting seasonal landscapes and transforming them into poetic scrolls.

Fragrant Sachets: Crafting Tradition

Tuesday's Chinese class was filled with herbal aromas as students learned about traditional sachets' mosquito-repellent and medicinal properties. After studying mugwort and calamus through videos, children carefully filled gauze pouches with herbs. Completed sachets adorned backpacks and collars, reviving ancient practices of aromatic adornment.

Seasonal Exhibitions: Artistic Interpretations

Wednesday's classroom became a "Solar Term Expo." Students presented hand-drawn posters illustrating "Lixia Rice" celebrations, autumn equinox's receding waters, winter solstice dumpling feasts, and verses recited over golden rice fields. When connected, the poster chain unveiled a spectacular panorama of phenological changes, agricultural activities, and cultural customs.

Poetic Attire: Verses Through Time

Thursday's corridors transformed into tunnels trough time as children dressed in Tang-Song era costuming recited seasonal poetry. From Han Yu's "Drizzling rain moistens like cream" to Du Fu's "Lone fisherman in snowy river," classical verses echoed through modern halls.

Solar Term Challenge: Wisdom Competition

Friday's quiz tournament ignited excitement. Students solved riddles about Jingzhe's awakening insects and Lixia's egg-balancing customs, earning colorful stamps. Ten "Solar Term Experts" ultimately received cultural medals for their knowledge.

Reflections & Growth

During closing reflections, students documented new knowledge and aspirations. "My sachet will guard my desk from mosquitoes," concluded one student; "I'll release river lanterns with mom next Chushu," planned another student;  "I'm amazed summer solstice has the longest daylight!" exclaimed a different student. These fresh impressions revealed budding cultural understanding.

The Twenty-Four Solar Terms - nature's language, ancestral wisdom, and cultural cipher - took root through songs, crafts, poetry, and games during this immersive week.

Hongkou Campus Chinese Culture Week Concludes

Featuring diverse programming, this year's event saw first graders deciphering imperial architecture and second graders decoding agricultural heritage. Through experiential learning, students deepened their cultural comprehension while becoming young ambassadors of Chinese traditions. The week successfully blended education with cultural preservation, nurturing genuine appreciation for China's historical legacy.

Written by Becky Yang, Nina Kang, Samuel Alexander

Proofread by Chad Higgenbottom

Pictures by Elaine Zhu, Rachel Wu, Sonia Wu

Video by Rachel Wu