In celebration of the Chinese New Year, IES Abroad students studying abroad in Shanghai on our Shanghai - Engineering Program attended several local events at Spring Festival. Spring Festival is held every year in China and throughout the world to commemorate the Chinese New Year.
As one of the most famous and celebrated festivals in the world, Spring Festival is about three weeks long and is filled with traditions, food, art, and activities. Check out four ways that our study abroad students in Shanghai enjoyed the celebration:
MADE TRADITIONAL DUMPLINGS
Students spent a day handcrafting delicious Chinese dumplings - a food traditionally eaten during the Festival. IES Abroad Shanghai staff and students worked together to make the delicious treats.
CREATED CHINESE SCROLLS
Our study abroad students especially enjoyed creating their own Chinese Spring Festival scrolls. This Spring Festival tradition includes writing positive phrases in calligraphy on red scrolls and then posting the messages outside of one’s house or in the car as a means of wishing family and friends good luck for the upcoming year. IES Abroad Shanghai faculty taught the students how to write in calligraphy so that they could make their scrolls to wish their families and friends a lucky new year.
TOURED LOCAL ART EXHIBITS
On another day of the festival, students visited art exhibits at Shanghai’s Great World, a local arcade and entertainment complex. While there, students saw various traditional Chinese art related to Spring Festival. They especially enjoyed the beautiful calligraphy work and learning about local customs of Shanghai. Afterwards, students headed over to the Yuyuan Bazaar, where they toured the local shops and saw historical Chinese architecture.
PARTICIPATED IN A CHARITY EVENT
Our students also spent time during Spring Festival volunteering at a charity event organized by a local community center. At the event, students helped sell goods, spent time with elderly residents, and donated to the community center. Local residents were excited to have IES Abroad students there celebrating the new year with them..
Interested in experiencing Spring Festival during your study abroad experiences in Shanghai? Learn more studying abroad in Shanghai, and apply today!
