On June 2nd, the Multicultural International Expo (MIX) Day event was conducted on-campus. This full-day event was developed for students in Grades 9 to 11 and covered various liberal art fields such as Chinese and English languages, world languages, and social sciences. Both Chinese and foreign teachers were cordially invited to participate. The holistic activities, including stage performances, carnivals, professional lectures, and cultural interactions, resulted in an immersive cultural experience for all participants. The High School Chinese Department prepared multiple exciting activities.

The Charm of Chinese Language & Culture

At 9:45, the Chinese Storytelling Toastmasters Club officially kicked off. The thirteen contestants who stood out in the class competition showcased their unique performance. The speech set sail from "Dreams", with comments on poets, philosophical thoughts on history, and explorations of masterpieces. It involved immersing oneself in masterpieces and expressing personal life insights through anecdotes.

The famous Peking Opera specialist Wang Peiyu was invited. Ms. Wang introduced the development of Peking Opera and the performance characteristics of "singing with sound and dancing without movement". She also performed the four skills of Peking Opera on-site for the students. She led everyone to learn the emotional expression and body movements in Peking Opera, allowing students to experience the beauty and fun of Peking Opera.

During the "Shanghai Opera Culture Lecture", Ding Yebo, the inheritor of the Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage "Yuan School" of Shanghai Opera, showcased the interesting Shanghainese dialect pronunciations to the students and teachers. Teacher Ding also introduced the origin and development process of Shanghai opera, allowing everyone to have a more intuitive understanding of the other side of the fashionable "magic city" within it through the use of the Shanghainese dialect and Shanghai opera. The students interacted actively, not only trying to speak "the soft language", but also learning the theatrical greetings on stage, experiencing the daily life and fun of the old Shanghainese people.

A lecture related to oracle bone inscriptions and bronze culture slowly kicked off in the recording classroom. The teacher first explained the origin and significance of the ding and then introduced the different pictures. And in the subsequent process of handmade bronzeware, using the distributed materials to assemble a large cauldron and painting it with antique brass or turquoise, the students truly experienced the pleasure of "making cultural relics".

In the lecture hall, the annual grand performance of the Longyin Society was grand. Two girls in red danced to the light melody, and with a soft sound, one girl was taken into the scroll, crossing back to ancient China. She led the audience to experience the romantic and poignant stories of the talented woman Zhuo Wenjun from the Han dynasty; the flowing water, winding cups, and the magnificent scenery of the group of talents in "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion"; and the heroic and unrestrained atmosphere of "Xiake Xing". It is worth mentioning that the performances of the Longyin Society were all connected in the form of stories, with segments of music, poetry, and lighting connecting the programs, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in various touching and stirring historical eras along with the women in red.

Chinese Language Debate Society has brought the teacher-student debate competition as a highlight of the MIX Day events. The topic of the debate competition, "Is there real love in high school?", was close to students' lives and highly topical, so many students came to the lecture hall early to guarantee their seats for the event. "What is the essence of love?" "Can age determine a person's maturity and attitude towards love?" Student representatives threw out loud and powerful statements and questions, while teachers were able to easily answer their questions.

The entrance hall of the ZT Building has already begun various Chinese cultural and language experience projects. The traditional Chinese poetry of "painting in poetry" has also been integrated. Through hands-on practice, students could more truly experience these unique poetic aesthetics. In the "Poetry and Painting" activity, students used the given poetry fragments to imagine from the perspective of "painting beauty", and improvised to complete the painting work, complementing the artistic concept of poetry.

At the "Pink Ink Appearance" booth, students experienced various makeup styles of ancient people. The makeup images that only appear in TV dramas were reproduced one by one with the ingenious techniques of the student "makeup artists". Coupled with flowing long skirts and elegant long shirts, they felt like they were dreaming, as if back through the long river of history.

They completed their own calligraphy and painting under the guidance of students who were good at calligraphy and painting. These ancient and elegant art forms radiated unique vitality under the pen of a group of vibrant young students.

（Written by High School Chinese Department Pictures by High School Faculty and Students Reviewed by Qian Zuo）