On September 27, an event was held by the College of Foreign Languages for the garden party at the newly-opened Langyuan Garden to celebrate the Mid-autumn Festival and the National Day. The event was attended by the leadership of the College, alumni, and faculty representatives.
The event was kicked off with the Dean’s speech, in which he commended the efforts made for building Langyuan Garden and this festive celebration that fully embodies both fine traditions and outstanding classics. It is the consistent effort made by the faculties and students over decades that transformed Langyuan Garden from a mere patch of dirt into a sound learning environment with well-developed facilities. The meaning of its name is three-fold. One, “Lang” stands for book-learning, a basic skill for language learners. Two, it stands for a pleasant environment, which the College is committed to creating. Three, it stands for an amicable atmosphere, which the faculty and students see as a long-standing tradition to build.
Later, An Zhenhuan, the vice president of Nankai Alumni Association and non-academic Supervisor of the Mudan Academy looked back to her learning and working experience at Nankai University. She also encouraged the students to value their days here and strive to achieve their dreams.
The participants later cut the ribbon and declared the official opening of Langyuan Garden.
Mu Xiangwang, the Secretary of the College’s Party Committee, gave her festive wishes for the faculties and students, hoping they may enjoy the charm of traditional holidays at the garden party.
As the garden party kicked off, the participants made a vivid display of figures in traditional Chinese mythology related to the Mid-autumn Festival, as well as quotes from ancient poems that express people’s longing for home and reunions. Our foreign lecturers and professors also attended the event in Han clothing, where they made mooncakes, painted fans, and solved lantern riddles along with the students, including Mr. Sergei currently teaching at the Russian Department, who was very fond of the garden party that allowed him to have a deeper understanding of the traditional Chinese culture.
Cabrera Rodrig (Chinese name Wu Ruilong) from the Spanish department also reveled in the beauty of traditional Chinese culture, saying that the College feels like home and he was amazed by the profoundness and richness of the traditional Chinese culture. He ended with quotes of Sushi from his The Moon Festival:
“Les deseo prosperidad y longevidad, como el brillo de la luna a la distancia.” (My one wish for you, then, is long life, And a share in this loveliness far, far away! )
The event held by the College of Foreign Languages brought memorable festive experiences for the faculty and students, who developed a deeper understanding of the traditional Chinese festive culture from the integration of tradition and modern elements. A profound understanding of our fine traditional culture serves as the very basis for carrying forward Chinese culture and telling China’s stories well.
