As the horse gallops into spring and a new journey begins, Chinese and foreign friends come together in harmony to celebrate the reunion festival. On the afternoon of January 10, the Lianglin Campus of Jiaxing University was filled with warmth and laughter as the 2026 Jiaxing Chinese-Foreign New Year Gathering got underway. ZJSU international students were invited to take the stage and give a wonderful performance at this cultural celebration, jointly hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the Jiaxing Municipal People’s Government and the Jiaxing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. Through their youthful performance, they helped build a bridge of friendship between China and the world, while immersing themselves in the charm of traditional Chinese festivals and in Jiaxing’s open-hearted warmth.
Centered on the theme “Culture as a Bridge, Celebrating the Spring Festival Together,” the gathering brought together foreign residents of Jiaxing, representatives from all walks of life and Chinese and international performers. Its rich and varied program included the awards ceremony of a photography and videography contest, a joint Chinese-international performance and hands-on experiences of traditional New Year customs, offering guests a festive event that was both ceremonial and engaging.
The fan dance “Moonlight on the Silk Road,” carefully choreographed by ZJSU’s international students, was one of the highlights of the performance. With their enthusiasm, graceful expression and lively movements, the students won waves of applause and warm praise from the audience. Speaking excitedly about the dance’s inspiration, Ademi (Ai Mi) from Kyrgyzstan said: “Before coming to China, I happened to see a dance video to this Chinese song on YouTube and was immediately captivated by its mysterious Eastern charm. The singer’s heavenly voice and the beautiful, flawless dance moves stayed with me. After I came to China to study, I found that several classmates from Russia and Kazakhstan also loved dancing; I showed them the video and we clicked right away, starting to rehearse at once. We first performed at the university’s New Year’s gala and it was well received. We are so glad to be invited to this gathering—our hard work has been recognized.”
After the performances, ZJSU’s international students gathered with foreign friends and guests at the traditional New Year customs area to experience Chinese traditions such as making dumplings and writing spring couplets. The students were especially drawn to calligraphy; at the spring-couplet booth, where the air was filled with the scent of ink, they followed the teacher carefully, taking in the unique charm of Chinese characters.
This event gave ZJSU’s international students a high-quality platform to showcase themselves and exchange ideas, while deepening their understanding and appreciation of traditional Chinese culture through immersive experience and further strengthening the bridge of cultural exchange between China and the world. Going forward, ZJSU will continue to actively organize international students to take part in Chinese-foreign cultural exchange activities, helping them broaden their global horizons and deepen their cultural understanding!
