This past Saturday, Dec. 14, at 5p.m., over 40 students and families associated with the Mandarin program attended the Reception in Honor of “Chinese Bridge” World Finalist and “My Trip to China” Short Video Contest Award Ceremony held at the Chinese Consulate, located on Geary Street.
The “Chinese Bridge” is a competition that includes language competency, knowledge of China, China’s cultural skills and comprehensive aptitude, according to China Institute. Participants compete in preliminary competitions and eventually can win their way to finals, which take place in China.
“While I didn’t compete, it was really nice being immersed in Chinese culture,” junior Charlotte Gesell said. “I loved being able to meet other students interested in the culture and history of China,”
During the ceremony there were many speeches given from competitors, as well as Peking Opera, which is a performance art incorporating singing, reciting, acting and martial arts. On top of all the Chinese food and shows, there were Chinese garments that people could try on, according to Gesell.
“I loved how welcoming the consulate was to all of the guests,” junior Winnie Chun said. “It was also really nice seeing all the Chinese decorations,”
Within the Consulate, typical Chinese decorations were strung up on every wall and corner. The Norcal HanFu Association also had a table where they displayed replicas of ancient accessories that included jewelry, ribbons and scarves.
“I enjoyed the food that the Consulate served us as well,” Mandarin teacher Hong Yao said. “I had such an amazing time learning about the Ming dynasty culture through clothing appreciation, calligraphy brushwork and traditional performances,”
The Consulate brought a catering company that provided a variety of dishes. Dishes included dumplings, spring rolls, lamb chops and salmon sashimi, according to Yao.
“I really appreciated that many parents were excited about what the Consulate had to offer,” Yao said. “Some parents even came to try on Hanfu clothing, and I appreciated that they wanted to expose their children to Chinese culture,”
Many students that signed up to attend this ceremony have also signed up for the China trip in the spring of next year. The consulate opened up a window of what it will be like in China, according to Chun.
“Going to this ceremony exposed me to so much culture,” Gesell said. “It also made me even more excited for our trip to China.”
