One of the most important and celebrated traditional festivals in Chinese communities worldwide is the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节), also known as the Moon Festival. Being on the other side of the world, in Auckland, the Festival coincides with spring rather than autumn. Nevertheless, the Confucius Institute (CI) opened its doors at Pembridge House, on 22nd September to welcome friends and colleagues, to join in an afternoon tea to celebrate the occasion, and to share in the spirit of friendship and harmony – two key aspects of the Festival.

Opening with a karakia blessing, short addresses were given by Professor Adrienne Cleland, DVC Operations; and Professor Robert Greenberg, Dean, Faculty of Arts. Both expressed their delight at being able to attend and acknowledged CI’s role in being a hub for Auckland to support Chinese language and culture as well as a bridge for fostering multicultural communication.

Professor Paul Clark, a renowned Sinologist in New Zealand and overseas and a member of CI’s advisory board, extended greetings in Chinese and then touched on the longevity of CI’s Mandarin Language Assistant (MLA) programme, which plays a pivotal role in Chinese language and culture learning in New Zealand schools. He also provided an insight into the history and stories behind the Mid-Autumn Festival and noted the similarities of celebrations revolving around harvests, unity, and harmony amongst different cultures.

Attendees on the afternoon, represented various areas within the University as well as those linked with the work of CI. Coinciding with Chinese Language Week, people engaged with each other, sipped on Chinese tea, sampled a variety of mooncakes and other delicacies, and had the opportunity to observe and experience cultural activities such as paper cutting, traditional Chinese painting, and calligraphy.

The event focused on and achieved the aim of cultural exchange, friendship, and celebration.

For more information on the Mid-Autumn Festival go here, or view the video below.

The Institute encourages more teachers of Chinese to participate in this opportunity as CTCSOL is the only official test of teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages and is a standardised test that is internationally recognised – so worthy and deserving to those who achieve it!

For more information, visit Exams. 

Laughter echoed throughout the room at Pembridge House as the July workshop for Mandarin Language Assistants (MLAs) kicked off last Thursday, just a day before Matariki (Maori New Year). 20 MLAs and several guest presenters came together, all set to bond and engage in a day bursting with inspiration, enthusiasm, and a whole lot of excitement!

The scene was set with welcomes from Xuelin Zhou, Director of the CI in Auckland and Dr. Erik Lithander, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Strategic Engagement of the University of Auckland and Chair of the CI Advisory Board. Dr. Lithander expressed not only his excitement about meeting the MLAs in person but its return after a three-year hiatus and the significance of the MLA programme in supporting Chinese language and culture in schools.  His presence gave him the opportunity to hear first-hand the MLAs’ impressions, their highlights and challenges, of working and living in New Zealand.

Louis Heap, the Principal of Arahoe School, followed to share some behind-the-scenes stories and strategies to help overcome the challenges in schools and the benefits to be gained as a teacher and as an MLA working in New Zealand.

JoJo Hua, the Chinese-language teacher from Carmel College, then stepped in with some useful and fun teaching ideas that the MLAs practiced to experience for themselves. And if that wasn’t enough, JoJo had a special treat in store for everyone—Kung-fu! She invited every attendee to bring out their inner martial talents to take part in her specially-designed Wubu Quan (Five-Steps Fist). The MLAs jumped at the chance, throwing punches and kicks (carefully) like they were auditioning for an action movie. It was a grand sight with the group of 20 in high spirits but in sync, as they went through the movements that they could later share with their students as a cultural activity.  

The afternoon session was safety themed with presentations on insurance and keeping safe in New Zealand.

Ethnic Liaison Officer, Kevin Deng, shared the role of the New Zealand Police, a mix of various statistics, practical tips as well as safety precautions to ensure the MLA’s personal safety.  

The day was a long one but came to an end that left the MLAs buzzing with excitement and ideas that they could take back into the classroom and apply to themselves. Thanks to all those who made it a success.