On Feb.17,2012, when heavy flakes were drifting in the air for several days and the ground in Europe were shrouded with white snow and ice, noisy scene could be seen in a classroom of a remote primary school of Poznan, Poland, where a winter Chinese Culture Day by Confucius Institute at Mickiewicz University was going on with pupils from primary schools around.

Icing world outside but full swing indoor

About Chinese paper cutting by teacher of Confucius Institute

First Miss Kamila Wiatr, an Polish teacher of Confucius Institute, taught daily Chinese. Little kids looked at the cards of Chinese words offered by teachers, surprised at the mysterious Chinese characters. Very soon they learned to say “Hello”, “Thank you”, “May I have your name?”, “My name is …”, “Good-bye”, etc. and they practiced the dialogue in turn. Many of them came to Yang Jianhua, Chinese director of CI and said with the Chinese just learned: ”Are you happy?”, “How do you like it?”, ”May I have your name?”, and then they would tell: “My name is …”. Mr. Yang Jianhua also responded happily with them. One little girl also told Chinese teacher proudly with the Chinese just learned from Polish teacher of Confucius Institute: “My grandpa once visited China.”

Next, Miss Joanna Hiller went on the Chinese paper cutting. The boys and girls, having learned something about Chinese paper cutting, began making Chinese character “Double Happiness” and other patterns with scissors. Some of them made more paper works on purpose in order to leave at Chinese teacher’s hands for memory. The Chinese teacher was much moved and grateful and collected carefully the works by the children.

Then came the Chinese calligraphy art and Chinese chopsticks and children felt more interested in them. They saw for the first time Chinese four writing and painting treasures: pen, ink, paper and ink stone, and soon they learned to write with Chinese brush. Teachers of Confucius Institute affixed Chinese seals on their Chinese calligraphic works. But more difficult was the learning of use of Chinese chopsticks. Teachers of Confucius Institute had to give the children hands-on help in groups, and even the parents and the teachers from the primary school helped the children when they learned how to use the chopsticks. At last many boys and girls could picked the peanuts out of the cups one by one with chopsticks. At the end of the event, the winners of the competition of peanuts picking were awarded with Confucius Institute souvenirs.

So far, Confucius Institute becomes more and more influential in society, and more and more schools want to cooperate with Confucius Institute. Confucius Institute at Mickiewicz University will conquer all the possible difficulties faced with and tries to meet the increasingly increasing need from Chinese culture.

Well written, only to find it upside-down.

Let me give you a hand.

Headmaster studied Chinese characters herself.

It is no easy job to pick peanuts out of the cup.

Study carefully the four treasures: pen, ink, paper and ink stone.