The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-SZ) is preparing a series of activities for the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, holiday as many students have decided to stay on campus instead of going back to their hometown in response to the national call.
Xu Yangsheng, the president of CUHK-SZ, and invited calligraphers wrote the Chinese character “Fu” which represents happiness and good fortune to deliver festival wishes to students and teachers at the beginning of their winter break.
Reports indicate nearly 200 students at CUHK-SZ decided to stay put during the holiday. In order to put parents of these students at ease, the university sent each family a package including a greeting letter and calligraphies created by Xu on behalf of the students.
Each college at the university will also organize events for students to have a joyful holiday, such as karaoke contests and photo contests. Students can also enjoy a Cantonese-style Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner and watch the Chinese New Year Gala on the campus.
Xu Yuejia, a freshman with CUHK-SZ who is from Zhejiang Province, said that she has made the big decision to cancel her flight ticket to go back home.
“Given the risk of catching the coronavirus on a plane, I finally decided to stay put after talking to my parents. This is the first time that I will not be able to celebrate the Lunar New Year with my family which is a bit sad. But as my father told me, this will be a very different experience in my life,” said Xu.
Meanwhile, CUHK-SZ said that they will continue providing an online psychological counseling service for students during the Spring Festival holiday. Free buses will also be available for students to visit popular tourist destinations in the city during the holiday.