Chinese Culture Experience at Excelsior Academy

On July 17th, the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University visited Excelsior Academy to host a Chinese calligraphy cultural taster for high school students. Over 30 students, mainly from Indian and Pakistani Muslim backgrounds, participated in the event.

Excelsior Academy, Newcastle’s first all-through school for ages 3 to 19, emphasizes both academic and extracurricular activities. During the cultural day, students explored various cultures, including Indian, Pakistani, Canadian, and Scottish. As part of the Chinese cultural experience, teachers Wanxiu Chen and Yingying Wei from the Confucius Institute designed a calligraphy course.

Students were introduced to the Four Treasures of the Study, learned the correct way to hold a brush, and practiced writing the numbers one, two, three, ten, and the character "口" (mouth). They also learned about Taoist philosophy concepts and the idea of "perfection" represented by the number ten.

During the calligraphy practice, students first used their fingers to practice strokes, then moved on to rice paper, and finally wrote the character "吉" (luck) on red paper. Students eagerly participated, asked questions about stroke order, and practiced diligently. One student even stayed behind to learn the character "乐" (joy) and helped clean up.

Roheen Khan, representing Excelsior Academy, thanked the Confucius Institute for the enriching experience. Students found Chinese calligraphy and characters fascinating and expressed a desire for more such activities, particularly Tai Chi and Kung Fu sessions.

This event marked the first collaboration between the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University and Excelsior Academy, deepening students' understanding of Chinese culture and sparking interest in learning Chinese.