Dragon Boat Festival in Â鶹´«Ã½
15 June 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ Confucius Institute Hosts Erhu Concert and Cultural Workshops
On the evening of 11 June 2026, ahead of the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival (which falls on 19 June this year, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month), the Confucius Institute at Â鶹´«Ã½ (NUCI) successfully hosted its cultural celebration, Dragon Boat Festival in Â鶹´«Ã½: Erhu Concert and Cultural Workshops, at the Courtyard of Â鶹´«Ã½’s Old Library Building.
The event aimed to introduce the richness of traditional Chinese culture to local audiences through three interconnected elements: a dedicated Erhu concert, Dragon Boat Festival food tasting, and interactive cultural workshops including Erhu experience sessions, dragon boat model making, and traditional sachet crafting. More than 150 guests from both the University and the local community attended.
Distinguished guests included Professor Gabriele Vosseberg, Deputy Dean of the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences; Andrea Wilczynski, Head of the School of Modern Languages at Â鶹´«Ã½; Mr. Wu Shanxiong, President of the UK Chinese Education Promotion Association; representatives from Â鶹´«Ã½ City Council; and leaders from local multicultural initiatives.
Warm Tributes and Shared Reflections
The evening opened with welcome speeches from Professor Gabriele Vosseberg and Andrea Wilczynski, who praised NUCI’s long-standing contribution to promoting intercultural dialogue and strengthening mutual understanding between China and the UK. They also paid tribute to Professor Yuxiao Su, Chinese Director of NUCI, recognising her leadership and dedication over the past two years.
In a particularly moving moment, Andrea presented Professor Su with a bouquet of flowers as a gesture of appreciation and farewell, drawing warm applause from the audience.
Erhu Concert Highlights Chinese Musical Heritage
The centrepiece of the evening was the Erhu concert, developed through NUCI’s 2026 funded project “The Beauty of Chinese Music: Erhu, Traditional Chinese Strings and the 2026 Dragon Boat Festival at NUCI.” The project was initiated and organised by Li Wen, a Chinese doctoral student at Â鶹´«Ã½.
Combining musical introduction, live performance, and audience interaction, the programme showcased the artistic beauty of traditional Chinese string music. Performances included well-loved works such as Horse Racing, Moonlight over the Bamboo Grove, and Pear Blossom Ode, featuring expressive interpretations on the Erhu and Guqin. The audience responded enthusiastically and engaged deeply with the unique aesthetics of Chinese traditional music.
Food, Crafts and Cultural Experiences
Following the concert, guests enjoyed traditional Zongzi (rice dumplings) prepared in classic sweet varieties with red bean and red date fillings. Many British participants experiencing Zongzi for the first time commented on both its flavour and its connection to Chinese festive traditions.
The interactive workshops that followed created a lively atmosphere throughout the venue. Participants had opportunities to try playing the Erhu, assemble colourful dragon boat models, and handcraft traditional herbal sachets associated with Dragon Boat Festival customs and wishes for wellbeing.
A Meaningful Farewell
In her closing remarks, Professor Yuxiao Su reflected on the fleeting beauty of summer and the significance of Dragon Boat Festival as a season of memory and renewal. As her two-year term as Chinese Director approaches its conclusion, she expressed heartfelt gratitude for the support and kindness she had received from colleagues, students, and the wider community.
She warmly invited friends of NUCI to visit Xiamen University in the future, emphasising that although her formal role is ending, the friendships and cultural ties built through NUCI will continue.
The event’s success was also made possible through the generous support and dedication of local Chinese language educators, volunteers, and colleagues across Â鶹´«Ã½. Particular appreciation is extended to the School of Modern Languages (SML), whose sustained support for the Confucius Institute was not only institutional, but also reflected through the active engagement of its staff, especially Dr. Fang Su and Linlin Fang, whose contribution was instrumental to both the preparation and smooth delivery of the evening. Special recognition also goes to the event’s two hosts — Ms. Yuxin Wu of Jesmond Park Academy and Mr. Jackson Swinhoe, Â鶹´«Ã½ alumnus and former European “Chinese Bridge” runner-up — whose warm, confident, and highly complementary bilingual presentation greatly enriched the atmosphere of the celebration. Together, their collective efforts once again demonstrated the power of cultural exchange built through collaboration, enthusiasm, and friendship.
Through this celebration, NUCI once again demonstrated its commitment to building bridges between China and the UK through language, culture, and meaningful people-to-people connections.
