On 11^th July 2024, Lancaster University Confucius Institute (LUCI) delivered Chinese language and culture taster sessions to Ermysted’s Grammar School, which saw more than 90 Year 9 students attending the event. The sessions were designed to be engaging, interactive and informative, providing students with a glimpse into the diverse facets of Chinese culture.

During the day, our LUCI teachers introduced students to Mandarin Chinese greetings and vocabularies on numbers and colours, enabling them to interact in basic conversation and describe simple things in daily life.

Culture-related activities were also integrated into the sessions, allowing students to explore Chinese culture hands-on. Craft-making sessions featured Chinese oracle bone script and traditional Chinese opera masks, unveiling the creation and evolution of Chinese characters and the representations of different opera masks in an entertaining way.

The Chinese language and culture sessions proved to be both educational and enjoyable, providing students with a platform to expand their knowledge and appreciation of China and its language and cultural heritage. We are very glad to see the active interactions and participation in the classes, with both the students and our teachers enjoying the time they spent together at Ermysted’s Grammar School. We are also pleased to receive the appreciation by Nina from the school, saying ‘the LUCI team was amazing, and we would be happy to have them back for the next summer enrichment week’.

By fostering an environment of cultural exchange and learning, LUCI is dedicated to offering local schools Chinese language and culture sessions as part of our commitment to promoting global understanding in the North West.