February 12th, 2025: Our Festival·Joyous Chinese New Year—The 20th Yangpu District "Lantern Festival Street Parade" around Tongji University was held lively on the Siping Road Subdistrict. This event was guided by the Shanghai Municipal Office for Spiritual Civilization Construction and the Shanghai Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, and was co-hosted by the Publicity Department of the Yangpu District Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Yangpu District Office for Spiritual Civilization Construction, the Yangpu District Culture and Tourism Bureau, and the Siping Road Subdistrict Party Working Committee and Office. Leveraging the regional party building linkage, ten international students from our university, hailing from Cuba, Venezuela, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and other countries, were invited to participate.
At noon, Fushun Road was adorned in a "festival-limited" red splendor, with colorful silk ribbons fluttering and a bustling crowd. The folk custom and intangible cultural heritage (ICH) stalls were packed with people, creating a lively and festive atmosphere. Sugar painting, dough modeling, paper cutting, crochet, jade carving, kite making, wheat straw painting, Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing) experience... numerous ICH projects gathered together, with many representative inheritors of ICH present to interact face-to-face with friends from China and abroad, jointly savoring the unique charm of China's excellent traditional culture.
The "Street Parade" on Sujiatun Road arrived as scheduled. With the sound of a bugle, the three chapters of "ICH Gathering·Joyous Lantern Festival," "Urban Folklore·Street Performance," and "People's City·Writing a New Chapter" began. Well-loved ICH arts from across China were gathered here: there was the "Shanghai Port Dockworkers' Chant" from Yangpu District, the "Lvlang White Dragon Dance" from Jinshan District, the "Yingge Dance" from Guangdong Chaoshan, the "Baiye Dragon" from Changxing, Zhejiang, and more.
This year, SUFE's international students also joined the street parade, forming a representative team with students from Tongji University and Shanghai University of Sport. They performed the song "Two Tigers" in five different languages for the local residents, receiving unanimous praise from the guests and neighbors.
Many international students experienced the vibrant, festive, and harmonious Chinese New Year atmosphere for the first time. Wu Xinghua from Cuba said, "I really like the Lantern Festival, and I am very happy to participate in this event today! I know that whether it is the yuanxiao eaten in the north or the tangyuan eaten in the south, they both symbolize reunion and harmony. I think China is a great country ! "
SUFE hopes that by organizing multi-level, multi-environmental, and diverse immersive cultural experience activities, more international students will be able to approach the 5,000-year history of China, feel the harmonious integration of classical beauty and modernization, promote excellent traditional Chinese culture, and cultivate capable young people who understand and befriend China and possess a broad worldview.
