Sheffield Confucius Institute celebrates Chinese New Year
Sheffield welcomed the Year of the Dragon with a dazzling array of Chinese New Year events. The inaugural Peace Garden Parade was a highlight, drawing an audience of over 16,000 for a weekend of festivities and cultural exchange. The Sheffield Confucius Institute (SCI) had a central role, hosting cultural stalls filled with calligraphy, painting, and traditional Chinese instrument workshops.
Two Chinese New Year shows also played a prominent part in the celebrations. The first, a sold-out gala at the University of Sheffield's Octagon Centre, saw nearly 1000 people enjoy traditional Chinese music, acrobatic performances, and more. The SCI played a key role in facilitating this exciting spectacle. The second show, a collaboration with the Chinese Students and Scholars Society (CSSA), provided another evening of captivating performances.
In addition to these main events, the Sheffield Confucius Institute participated in a range of activities. This included a collaboration with the University of Sheffield’s Information School, exploring Chinese culture through arts, crafts, and music, and a charity auction benefiting Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
This Year of the Dragon marked a remarkable celebration for Sheffield, and the Sheffield Confucius Institute looks forward to continued growth and enriching events in the future.
Read more about the celebrations
Welcome to our New Sponsored Teachers!
Welcome to Liu Chang and Wang Yong, our new sponsored teachers who arrived in Sheffield recently to begin their new teaching roles at the SCI. Chang and Yong are settling in and have already begun sharing insights and joining in with team activities, particularly our recent Chinese New Year celebrations. Welcome Chang and Yong to the Sheffield Confucius Institute family!
SCI Adult Learners Spring Semester Course Start
The Spring semester for our adult learning platform began on 29 January with our Survival Chinese course moving into our regular 12 week Chinese for Everyone course, with lessons taking place each week from Monday through to Wednesday.
Our teachers hail from top Chinese universities and are adept at delivering dynamic lessons in a hybrid online and in-person teaching environment. We couldn't be more excited to help our learners embark on their language learning journeys to get this Spring started!
Find out more about our adult learning courses
Tai Chi Classes Spring Semester Start
We’re delighted to update that our Tai Chi instructor, Deborah McCall, has started with us for a second term of teaching from 8 February. Deborah has 15 years of experience learning and teaching Tai Chi and has trained with masters of the art. Her classes include warm up exercises, Qigong training in the hand forms (a very old training system which helps to generate a flow of Qi and circulate this within the body), and one of the 5 animal Qigongs with posture correction.
Students are still welcome to join until the end of February, so get in touch if you are interested!
Find out more about our Tai Chi classes
Chinese Painting Classes Spring Semester Start
We’re excited to announce that our established teacher, Tao Ting, will lead our new Chinese Painting class, beginning from Wednesday, 21 February. In this art form, artists use brushes, ink, and rice paper or silk to create landscapes, floral scenes, and portrayals of animals that are more than just depictions; they are expressions of the artist's inner world, philosophical insights, and a deep connection with nature.
Tao Ting has taught and collaborated with the Sheffield Confucius Institute and schools and educational platforms all across the South Yorkshire area. She has many years of experience engaging in and teaching the art of Chinese painting and calligraphy.
Students are still welcome to join until mid-March, so get in touch if you are interested!
Find our more about our Chinese Painting classes
Sino English Club update
Our Sino-English Club is organising an Ideas Session next Tuesday 27 February at the SCI office. We’re keen to invite the local community of Chinese and English language and culture enthusiasts to provide their own views and opinions on what the club should focus on this new year to best achieve its goals as a platform of friendship and exchange between Chinese and English speakers in Sheffield.
Sign up for the event via the QR code on the poster. It would be great to see you there!
Find out more about our Sino-English Club
Sign up for our Ideas Session event
China Day Successes in Local Schools
Our teachers visited schools across the South Yorkshire area to deliver our special China Day initiative, in which schools enjoy a day of Chinese cultural activities ranging from arts and crafts to practical activities like kung fu and Chinese calligraphy. Schools visited were Abbeyfield Academy, Owler Brook Primary School and Astrea Academy, on 23 Jan, 29 Jan and 9th Feb 2024.
Find out more about China Day and how to sign up
China - UK Perspectives: Friendship Photography Competition Deadline: 1 March 2024
The Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield is delighted to host its next annual photography competition with the theme: Friendship. It is the SCI’s mission to promote cooperation and understanding between China and the UK, and this year we’re very excited to explore the theme of friendship in a spectrum of five categories - Courage, Loyalty, Respect, Trust, and Harmony. We invite all friends across China and the UK to submit photos associated with these themes so we can celebrate the bond between China and the UK together.
There are prizes to be won for each category… Please send in your submissions before Friday, 1 March!
Find out more about the competition
Thank you for reading!
Take a look at the links below to read more about the SCI's recent activities and events!