During winter break (June-July 2018), a series of cultural courses started on the UoM campus. The courses include Taiji, Calligraphy, and Chinese Singing, and they open the doors to further understand Chinese culture.
The teacher started the Taiji course with boxing, into which he integrated Fan dancing. So the performance of Taiji mixed strength and power of boxing with the elegance and natural grace of dance; the reconciliation of two opposing forces, the oneness before duality such as yin-yang in Chinese philosophy.
Plate 1. The practice of Taiji by staff of UoM in the gynamasium of the University.
Calligraphy is the traditional art of Chinese characters. It is an aesthetically pleasing form of writing which has high esteem in Chinese cultural sphere. The CI-UoM volunteer teacher first introduced a brief history of calligraphy. In the primary schools of China, calligraphy is a compulsory course because it can help to cultivate students’ personality when they practice the traditional art of writing. Under the instruction CI teacher, students can now write quite well.
Plate 2. The practice of Calligraphy by staff of UoM with the encouragement of CI teacher.
Plate 3. Staff of UoM practicing calligraphy on newspaper.
Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language. Poetry, like calligraphy, has been held in extremely high regard in China. In Chinese culture, poetry has provided a forum for both public and private expressions of deep emotion, offering an insight into the inner life of Chinese people.
CI students find it difficult to learn ancient Chinese poems by heart. So singing the ancient poems help the CI students to remember the poems. They not only learn to sing Chinese songs but also enjoy the rhythm of the poems.
Plate 4. Staff of UoM attending Chinese Poetry classes and reciting Chinese poems.