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G7 Non-Native Chinese: Cultural Activities of Qingming Festival and Solar Terms

April 6, 2023

This week, all G7 non-native Chinese teachers and students of SHSID held a special cultural integration lecture on the Qingming Festival and the solar terms at Zhongxing lecture hall. The lecture was divided into three parts: Qingming Festival sentiment, the secrets of the solar terms and bookmark making. Let's join them in our approach to this ancient festival and explore the mysteries of it!

Qingming Festival Sentiment

As an ancient festival in China, Qingming Festival is not only a solemn festival of tomb sweeping and ancestor worship, but also a joyful festival of getting close to nature, trekking, and enjoying the fun of spring. During the class, Ms. Qiu from the Non-native Chinese Group introduced the date and weather of Qingming Festival and talked about a series of related cultural customs, such as eating green dumplings, tomb sweeping, trekking, kite flying, etc. The students listened attentively and interacted and discussed from time to time.

The Qingming Festival is a way to pay tribute to the ancestors and is often held in the countryside. Since ancient times, the Chinese people have had the custom of hiking in nature during Qingming, which was called spring exploration. When spring returns, grass grows and warblers fly, people go to nature to look for spring. “After the kites are put up in the blue sky, the strings are cut and the breeze sends them to the ends of the earth”, which is said to be able to eliminate diseases and bring good luck. The Qingming Festival is an important festival for remembering the deceased and paying homage to ancestors, as well as a time for getting close to nature, playing in the greenery and enjoying the spring breeze and moonlight. By understanding the origin of the festival and the customs and culture of the Qingming Festival, the students were able to perceive the infusion of tradition and deepen their identification with Chinese culture in a subtle way.

Secrets of the Solar Terms

The rain washes over the Qingming Festival, and the rice wine and apricot flowers are fresh. Qingming is one of the twenty-four solar terms, and is the fifth solar term of spring. It is named after the period when “the air is clear and the landscape is bright, and everything is visible”. At this time of the year, the sun is shining, grass and trees are budding, flowers are blooming, and nature is showing a vibrant scene. In the southern region, this time has been a clear and bright image; the northern region began to break the snow, the temperature rose, spring melting. Qingming Festival integrates natural festivals and humanistic customs into one, fully reflecting the Chinese ancestors' pursuit of the harmonious concept of “heaven, earth and man” and the idea of following the laws of nature. By watching the video song and related pictures, students got to know several spring festivals such as Qingming, rains, and learned about the connection between time and weather, and marveled at the wisdom of the ancients and the greatness of nature.

Bookmark Making

As the old saying goes, “The plan of the day lies in the morning, and the plan of the year lies in the spring.” Under the guidance of teachers, students created a creative bookmark with colorful brushes on the cardboard, leaving the most beautiful spring on the bookmark and going on a reading trip together to let the fragrance of books overflow throughout the season.

We hope the warmness and the brightness of the landscape to send our concern to each other, and live up to the spring light.

Written by Hazel

Pictures by Johnson

Edited by Serene Yang, Niall Keenan