On 22nd January, which is the Lunar New Year, the Foreign Affairs Office of the city and the city museum successfully held the ‘Silk Road Lujiao - Cultural New Year's Celebration - Chinese New Year Live Activity in the Museum’. ‘International students were invited to participate in this activity.

At the beginning of the event, the host introduced in detail the traditional customs of the Lunar New Year in northern China. From the ancient solemn rituals of sacrificing to heaven and earth and worshipping the gods, to the modern folk activities such as dusting and eating sugar melons, which are widely spread in the north, the event showed the inheritance and evolution of the traditional festival culture in the long course of history in an all-round way.

The activity kicked off with a session on ‘The Beauty of Calligraphy: Writing Spring Festival Couplets’, in which the calligraphy teacher demonstrated how to hold the brush and writing skills. The international students picked up the brushes and were eager to try their hand at writing Chinese New Year couplets. Although calligraphy is quite a challenge for them, they were all excited to write down their expectations for the New Year; the ‘Creative New Year: Red Packet Dyeing and Printing’ session brought the atmosphere to a climax, where the international students carefully chose their preferred stamps, dipped them in colourful paints, and then carefully printed them on their red packets. The scene was filled with laughter.

Afterwards, the tour ‘Through History: The Yellow River Passes in Front of My Door - The Butterfly Transformation of the Thousand-Year-Old Beizhen’ led the international students into the exhibition of the Old Beizhen. From the origins of the ancient town, to the development and changes over the years, to the rich and colourful folk customs and unique traditional architecture, a picture of the historical changes of Old Beizhen made the international students feel as if they were in the scene, immersed in the long river of history full of stories.

During the visit, the international students met local students who came to visit the exhibition, and they had a warm discussion about the customs of Chinese New Year. They exchanged the cultural connotation and traditional customs behind the festival, and the atmosphere was warm and harmonious. Through this exchange, the international students gained a deeper understanding of Chinese festivals, and the local students also gained a new understanding of the world's multiculturalism. After the event, Andy, an international student from Pakistan, said with excitement, ‘Chinese New Year is so lively, through this event, I learnt a lot about Chinese New Year customs, and I will definitely bring this wonderful memory back to Pakistan and share it with my family and friends.’