Confucius Institute at University of Latvia Participated in 2017 Jelgava Pasta Island International Culture Festival
On May 20th and 21st, Confucius Institute at University of Latvia was invited to participate in 2017 Latvia Jelgava Pasta Island International Culture Festival.
This festival was held in picturesque Pasta Island in Jelgava City. More than 200 organizations participated in exhibition and performance. LUCI booth located in the Education Zone, divided into 4 stands, namely Handcraft and Paper-cut, Chinese Calligraphy, Peking Opera Facial Make-up, and Speak Chinese with Me. The Handcraft and Paper-cut stand was decorated with Chinese red color, thus creating festive atmosphere. The stand featured traditional festival and wedding culture. Paper-cup decoration for window, paper-cut “春” character, paper-cut “喜” character, and handcraft paperboard lantern were displayed and taught how to make. The Chinese Calligraphy stand featured “Charm in Calligraphy”, presented the static beauty of calligraphy art works and the dynamic beauty of brush handling, combining character writing with personality cultivating, which accorded with the HELSUS theme of “Broaden Horizon and Aspire Wisdom”. The Peking Opera Facial Make-up stand demonstrated cosmetic art in Peking Opera to Latvian citizens. Correspondence between personality and facial make-up patterns was introduced; casts of different personalities such as benevolence, bravery, loyalty and roguery were created by painting different patterns into paper masks, vividly displaying Peking Opera culture. The Speak Chinese with Me stand set up a miniature Chinese classroom, creating a lively language study environment for Chinese language fans and a study-and-use scenario. Beside the 4 stands, shuttlecock and paddle badminton sports were also introduced.
During this 2-day exhibition, LUCI booth was filled with visitors all along. After getting to know the culture specialties, visitors were eager to try. LUCI stands boasted a parent-child interaction function. LUCI received more than 300 visitors during the festival. Many experiencers brought with them their parents and children to work together in the workshops, practiced with their hands and months simultaneously, touching and feeling Chinese culture in a close distance. In an immersive circumstance, experiencers were able to digest and integrate different aspects of Chinese culture profoundly. Chinese culture and LUCI itself were also promoted by participating in the festival.
