Being Part of the Friends of St. James Park Summer Festival

The Confucius Institute at the University of Southampton (CI UoS) contributed to the Summer Festival at the Friends of St. James Park on 24th June 2023, which was part of the annual Summer activities organised by the Shirley Community.

The atmosphere was vibrant and joyful, with the event taking place on a scorching summer day. Carrying the spirit of the traditional Chinese Dragon Boat Festival which was celebrated in the same month, the CI provided free workshops of making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and panda clay sculptures, folding paper dragon boats, painting zongzi and Peking Opera masks, using chopsticks to pick up spaghetti, and playing shuttlecocks.

These creative activities showcased traditional Chinese folk arts, provided the participants with a hands-on opportunity to the handcrafts and increased the culture diversity in the community.