The Confucius Institute at the University of Liberia, known by the acronym “CIUL”, on Saturday, January 25, 2025, celebrated the Chinese Lunar New Year, which is widely referred to as the “Spring Festival”. The year 2025 is the Year of the Snake.
“Today we celebrate the coming of the Chinese New Year, and also to strengthen the values of friendship and cultural exchange that unite China with the rest of the world”, Co-director at the CIUL Zhou Hongzhuan said.
The spring festival is a Chinese social practice that celebrates the traditional New Year, which this year falls on January 29th.
According to Co-director Zhou, the Spring Festival has been included in the UNESCO representative list 2024 Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, meaning it has been recognized as a global festival celebrated not only by the Chinese but by the world.
“From now on, the Spring Festival does not only belong to the Chinese people, instead the people of the world”, as Co-director Zhou also said.
It is also regarded as a period of renewal, joy, and togetherness, a moment to reflect on the past year’s achievements and embrace the opportunities of the future. The past year at CIUL was fruitful because the institute offers a BA degree program in Chinese language education.
For his part, the CIUL Director Prof. Dexter Sumo explained that the Spring Festival can be traced to over 3000 years of rich cultural history brought to the world by the People’s Republic of China.
Prof. Sumo explained that China has done remarkably well in strengthening and contributing to Liberia’s human resource development.
He revealed that several Liberian students are pursuing undergrad and graduate studies in China through the Confucius Institute at the University.
He disclosed that the CIUL has not been involved with only Chinese language education, but also
He encouraged Liberian students to consider enrolling at the CIUL because it is one of the best ways to learn the Chinese language and explore the abundance of opportunities provided by Chinese companies and enterprises in the country.
“Let cultivate the Chinese language throughout the country and let us continue to press forward to ensure that the Chinese language takes roots in Liberia”, Professor Sumo added.
The gala on Saturday featured a range of cultural performances by CIUL students and instructors, including songs and dancing.
