随着2024年龙年春节的到来，英国利兹大学商务孔子学院组织开展了一系列形式多样、备受欢迎的新春文化活动。

      英国当地时间2024年1月10日上午，孔子学院在利兹大学创业教育中心Helix举办了龙年“庆新春”新年预热活动，包括春节介绍、语言品鉴和文化体验。活动场地从大门到室内挂满了各类中国新年的元素，现场提供了可口美味的中式零食茶饮，并运用了多种现代化设备，营造出一个丰富多彩的新春活动氛围，吸引了众多中国文化爱好者前来参加。

      活动开始，中英方院长向参加活动的嘉宾问好。

      英方院长宋继文教授在致辞中表示，“春节是中国乃至众多亚洲国家的重要节日，象征着新的开始和希望。这是一个家人团聚、欢聚共度的时刻，人们在美好的时光中分享着彼此的欢笑和祝福。在新的一年里，我们将不懈努力，进一步加强孔子学院在社区中的影响力，促进中英两国在语言学习和文化交流方面的深入合作。我们深刻理解语言是连接人们心灵的桥梁，而文化则是增进相互理解的纽带。通过推动汉语学习和中国文化的传播，我们竭力为利兹大学和社区居民提供更多丰富多彩的学习机会。借助孔子学院的平台，我们期望激发学生对汉语学习的兴趣，让更多的人能够领略到中华文化的博大精深。”

      参加此次新年活动的还有利兹大学国际处领导、国际市场开拓负责人Julia Wang，利兹大学商学院校友关系办公室主任Anna Wellard， Healthwatch Leeds社区项目工作者Tatum Yip等。此次活动还得到了利兹中国学生学者联谊会（CSSA）的大力支持。利兹大学全球网络参与发展官Jennifer Cleaver表示这次的活动非常精彩，期待未来有更多的机会能够参加。正在利兹大学攻读健康信息与数据科学硕士的Lynette在活动结束后在博客中表示，“回顾这次活动，我发现自己沉浸在不同的文化体验中，品尝新的食物，建立新的联系，这给我带来了巨大的快乐。”

      利兹大学商务孔院的三名汉语教师志愿者在本次活动中还为观众带来了语言参与类节目。

      本场活动开设了中国传统艺术剪纸和书法体验区，供人们自由体验，吸引了众多中华文化爱好者前来尝试。

      活动现场，大家纷纷试穿汉服，并拍照留念。利兹大学的中国留学生志愿者表演了古筝演奏，琴声悠扬，众人掌声不断。

      除此之外，本次活动还设置了灯光画板，大家可以用充满创意和氛围感的方式用文字和图画书写描绘对即将到来的龙年的祝福。

      利兹大学商务孔院龙年庆新春活动的成功举办，传递了中国春节的喜庆和年味，视觉、听觉、触觉和味觉的多重体验获得了来自多方的热烈反响和积极反馈，增进了当地社区对中华文化的感知和理解，促进了中英两国之间的文化交流，为中国新年的到来增添了趣味和光彩。

Spring Festival came a month early to HELIX, as the Business Confucius Institute (BCI) welcomed staff, students and guests to look ahead to the Year of the Dragon. 

Attendees were greeted by the beautiful sound of the guzheng as they arrived to see the University's learning innovation hub adorned with couplets and red lanterns.  

Traditional music and decorations sitting alongside the cutting-edge venue and facilities put a fresh twist on Chinese New Year activities.  

Engaging activities:
The programme was designed to educate, inspire, and build community.  

Presentations by BCI teachers introduced Chinese New Year traditions and taught some greetings in Mandarin.  Throughout the day attendees could try paper cutting and calligraphy in the Makerspace and add their messages to a lightboard.  Other interactive opportunities included the photobooth, podcasting room and online polls.  

Link to Leeds Ambassador Lynette attended the event and reported in her blog post:

“The event was extremely interactive, encouraging us to take part in the various cultural activities.”

"The highlight was a craft centre, offering hands-on experiences in traditional calligraphy and creating paper cut-out decorations for the Spring Festival."

HELIX facilities:
The event was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate HELIX in action, making use of various spaces and highlighting equipment including the lightboard and podcasting set-up.  

The lightboard activity inspired many participants to consider how this tool could be used to enhance their own events and teaching.  

Representatives from the Student Welcome Team and Leeds University Union joined us to record a podcast about their experiences of Spring Festival, and to talk about the events coming up for students in the coming weeks. Listen to the conversation on Soundcloud. 

Community and belonging:
Participants familiar with Spring Festival and Chinese culture soaked up the festive atmosphere with those who don’t usually celebrate, learning from each other and sharing their cultures and traditions. A diverse group of countries were represented among attendees.

In her Link to Leeds blog post, Lynette said:

“I found immense joy in immersing myself in diverse cultural experiences, savouring new foods, and forging new connections.”

BCI Executive Director Professor Lynda Song said: 

“Just as the lightboard images continue to glow with participants’ Spring Festival greetings, we hope that the sense of community created at this event will endure as we prepare to welcome the Year of the Dragon.”

"The BCI will continue to educate, inspire and connect people at Chinese New Year and beyond."