Expats join locals to savor flavors of Chinese New Year

As Spring Festival approaches, the city's festive atmosphere is growing. To help expats explore traditional Chinese culture, the Longhua International Cooperation Center (LICC) hosted the "Tasting the Flavor of the Chinese New Year" one-day winter camp yesterday in Longhua District. The event attracted around 70 participants, including locals and expats from 10 countries.

Participants beam with joy as they pose for a photo during the "Tasting the Flavor of the Chinese New Year" one-day winter camp in Longhua District, held yesterday. Photos courtesy of LICC unless otherwise stated

During the celebration, attendees explored traditional Spring Festival customs and knowledge, experiencing Chinese intangible cultural heritage firsthand. Activities included pasting foil onto decorations, lion dance performances, writing the Chinese character "fu” (福, meaning blessing), and making tanghulu — traditional Chinese candied hawthorn fruit on a stick.

Attendees craft traditional Chinese New Year decorations during the hands-on activity at the event.

South African Simon Sayed, head of the department of humanities at Merchiston International School in Longhua District, brought his wife and children to the event.

Expressing his appreciation for the event, Sayed said, “We wanted to be part of the festival, and it’s been so interesting. This is a very special time of the year in China. I can feel that everything is a little calmer, and people are more relaxed during this period of time. I really enjoyed the event, which is all about exchanging cultures and ideas."

“Today, I tried to learn more about the shape of the Chinese character 'fu.' I learned that it’s often written upside down during the Spring Festival to symbolize the arrival of blessings. I found this very interesting,” he added.

Alexander Ramirez from Colombia (L) and Yang Kangyu from Jianlian Primary School proudly display their creations and gifts from the event. Wang Jingli

Alexander Ramirez, from Colombia, who arrived in Shenzhen last year and now lives in Longhua District, shared that he had a lot of fun pasting foil on a New Year calendar that included the Chinese character “fu.” At the end of the activity, Ramirez held up his calendar and said it was his first work of art.

Foil pasting refers to the process of adhering thin metal foils, such as gold, to surfaces like paper, fabric, wood, or other materials to create decorative or artistic designs. 

“LICC is a great place to meet people and learn more about Chinese culture. Through this event, I learned something very important — the transmission of cultural values. Spring Festival is about family celebration, and I believe this is deeply meaningful and rooted in many good values,” said Ramirez.

Yang Kangyu, a sixth-grade student from Jinglian Primary School and a volunteer with LICC, also shared her thoughts. “Today, we had both locals and expats celebrating together. I think it’s a great opportunity for cultural exchange. UNESCO has included Spring Festival on its list of intangible cultural heritage. Events like this help spread Chinese culture to the world,” he said. 

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