As the Year of the Dragon started in 2012, the Confucius Institute Grand Spring Festival Gala cohosted by Guangxi University and the Confucius Institute at Tallinn University was successfully held, which made the audiance feel the warmth of Chinese culture in the cold weather of Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia.

On the first day of February, Tallinn felt cold and cheerless with the mercury dropping to 20 degrees below zero. However, in the Great Hall of Tallinn University, the atmosphere was spring-like and full of warmth. The performers of Guangxi University’s Art Troupe gave fantastic performances of Confucius Institute Grand Spring Festival Gala for the students and faculty of Tallinn University. Joyfully, the youth from both countries celebrated the 2012 Spring Festival of Chinese Year of Dragon.

Before the gala started, the Rector of Tallinn University, Professor Tiit Land, the Counselor of Chinese Embassy in Estonia Madam Gao Chunyan as well as Professor Li Jibing, the head of the art troupe and Deputy Secretary of Guangxi University Party Committee, made opening speeches for the ceremony. They sent their best Spring Festival wishes to the people of the two countries and said they hoped that the Confucius Institute would achieve more in the coming years and that the friendship between China and Estonia would continue to flourish.

Rector of TLU Delivering a Speech

Then the performance started with the dance Water Girls, which was performed by Guangxi University’s Art Troupe and which was the first performance to make all in attendance stunned by the skill of the performers. With the joyful music, the dancers showed the special features of minority ethnic groups through their beautiful dancing.

Dance performance Water Girls

The dance piece Shao Duo Li was wonderful and attractive. The performers, in refreshing and unique costumes of Southern China nationalities, captured the audience who are accustomed to cold weather. The Mongolian dance Mother in the Distance and Uygur Dance Dolan Mashrap caused wide resonance among the audience. Many young people said that they could sense the strength and emotions through the dancers and the two dances, which were not only attractive but also very touching, and made them feel the vigor and enthusiam of the youth.

Dance performance Lonely Swan

Duet Folk Song is Like Spring River

Chinese Kung Fu, as an interactive program, was the highlight of the gala. Having performed Kung Fu, the martial arts coach and students asked the audience to go to the stage to practise Kung Fu with them. One after another, the audience stepped onto the stage, picked up their favorite weapons, followed the coach’s movement, posed various positions, and satisfied their craving for practicing Kung Fu. At last, they took a photo together, which was an unforgettable experience for them.

Learning Kung Fu Moves

 Group photo

The outstanding professional skills and perfect performance of the young performers from the Art Troupe of Guangxi University gave the audience a very deep impression. After the performance, the audience expressed their high opinions of the performances, saying, “amazing”, “so beautiful” and “fantastic”. Meanwhile, they also expressed their wish for more opportunities to appreciate such wonderful performances which integrated Chinese culture and arts and their hope to learn more about China and Chinese culture through such exchanges.

The day before the performance at Tallinn University, Guangxi University Art Troupe gave performance at the teaching site of CITU, Tallinna Kesklinna Vene Gümnaasium, and co-celebrated the occasion with its students and faculties, which was joyfully and successfully concluded.