The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of China’s major traditional festivals. To commemorate this occasion, the Confucius Institute at the University of Kelaniya (UOK) organized an event on Wednesday, 2nd of October 2024, at 10:00 AM in Dharmaloka Hall.
First, Dr. Jani Samarakoon, Co-Director (for Sri Lanka) of the Confucius Institute at UOK representing Sri Lanka, and Dr. Wu Hongyuan, Co-Director (for China) representing China, delivered the welcome speeches. Following that, the Vice-Chancellor, Senior Professor Nilanthi de Silva, gave her speech, highlighting that the Confucius Institute at UOK is highly active and plays a significant role in strengthening the relationship between Sri Lanka and China.
After that, Ms. Liu Xin and Ms. Buddhima Patali introduced the Mid-Autumn Festival. They explained the history of the festival in China, how people in the past celebrated it, and how it is celebrated today.
Then, one of the most exciting parts of the event began – the mooncake-making experience. Ms. Yang Biying demonstrated how to make mooncakes while Dr. Jani Samarakoon explained the process to the audience. Students from the schools had the opportunity to make mooncakes and enjoy the hands-on experience. They also got to taste the mooncakes afterward.
Finally, the most entertaining part of the event commenced – enjoying the Chinese cultural programs. Students studying Chinese at schools and Chinese undergraduates from universities delivered exciting performances that captivated the audience.
For this event, 150 undergraduates from the University of Kelaniya performed. In addition, approximately 25 students from other universities also performed, contributing two performances to the event. In addition, 300 students from 30 schools participated, contributing three performances to the event. Altogether, 50 outsiders performed in the event, contributing five performances. Overall, there were 500 students and teachers in the audience for this event. This was a wonderful opportunity for them to showcase their enthusiasm for Chinese culture.
Finally, group photos were taken, with each school and university posing for pictures together with the staff of the Confucius Institute at UOK.
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