Wellington College China welcomes the Year of the Tiger

Wellington College China welcomes the Year of the Tiger

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar. It has special place on the academic calendars of our schools in China, too. Every year, this festival serves as a fun teaching opportunity and a way to engage in meaningful cultural exchange. Here is how our pupils, teachers and parents welcomed the Year of the Tiger together.

Wellington College Tianjin

A resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the area unfortunately meant that Wellington College International Tianjin had to resort to e-learning. Holiday spirits nevertheless remained high. The teachers worked together to prepare various Lunar New Year-related activities that brought warmth and camaraderie in this cold season. Our youngest pupils in the Nest, for instance, learned about traditional Chinese customs, sang holiday and even learn how to make Chinese handicrafts. The children quickly adapted to the new situation and ultimately had a great deal of fun in the process.

Wellington College International Shanghai

Wellington College International Shanghai celebrated the Year of the Tiger with a range of festivities. At the Early Years Centre, children participated in a mini-Temple fair and tried their hands at Chinese opera mask making and traditional paper cutting. Children in years 1–3 put on a spectacular performance of music and dance. Years 4–13 enjoyed an annual Temple Fair featuring dance and marital arts demonstrations, handicraft activities and plenty of Chinese treats. Also, children in Nursery to year 5 channeled the creativity into Kindness with a pupil art auction that raised 51,600 for Stepping Stones, a non-profit organisation that provides educational resources to underserved parts of China.

Huili Nursery Shanghai

Huili Nursery Shanghai pupils put on a spectacular annual Chinese New Year performance. As always, this was not only good fun, but also a great opportunity for the children to learn about traditional Chinese culture. Pupils also created decorations to hang in the corridors, dressed in colourful tiger costumes and expressed their joy through song and dance as they learned all about Chinese zodiac.

Wellington College Hangzhou

The pupils at Wellington College International Hangzhou delivered presentations on Chinese New Year traditions during their morning assemblies. They took part in Chinese handicraft activities like bookbinding and paper cutting. On the final day before the holiday break, pupils College-wide donned festive Chinese clothing to celebrated the coming of the New Year. Meanwhile at Huili School Hangzhou, pupils enjoyed an immersive Temple Fair experience complete with dragon and lion dances, acrobatics, Sichuan opera mask-changing performances and more. Chinese teachers introduced the eight traditional dim sum dishes eaten during the holidays as well. The celebrations then culminated in an annual Spring Festival Gala that saw 900 talented children taking to the stage to perform music and dance numbers.