International students experience Chinese warmth at winter camp
Shot by Jiang Xiaowei. Edited by Jiang Xiaowei. Reported by Cai Wenjun. Subtitles by Cai Wenjun.
International students at Wunan Kindergarten are enjoying a winter camp, the first since the pandemic passed.
In the winter camp, they have chance to make more friends, learn knowledge of winter and the Chinese New Year, and make special foods, decorations and items that are popular for the Spring Festival.
Raife, 3, from the UK, shows off a dragon bag.
"It is a dragon bag made by me," Raife, 3, from the UK told his classroom. His sister and other children were performing a dragon dance with a dragon made by teachers and children.
Since there are fewer children in the winter camp, different ages are in the same class. The courses and content has also been specially developed.
Children perform a dragon dance.
Tan Finn, 5, from Germany, is having fun with the dragon.
"The winter camp is a special event in our kindergarten, which has children from some 40 countries and regions," said Gong Min, the kindergarten's principal.
"We have a big international division and many children and their parents are very active and happy with our winter camp, which has special focus on Chinese culture and art.
"Children from international families here are very interested in Chinese culture, intangible art and the language. That's why they send their kids to public kindergartens like us instead of international ones.
"So our winter camp provides courses like making special Chinese food for the new year, creating hand-made works like dragon and Chinese knots and telling stories about Chinese New Year and its tradition.
"Children always take their works back home and are eager to share with their families."
Timothy Goetz, a foreign teacher from the US, shows children how to make traditional Chinese food in the winter camp.
"The courses that children like the most are definitely the hands-on activities, so we prepare a kitchen where they can touch, feel and do things with their hands," said Timothy Goetz, a teacher from the US.
"This morning, we made dumplings, that's something many of the kids do with their family at home around this time of the year. So we really try to bring the holiday to them and introduce it to them. Kids are very excited to experience something for first time. So they are very popular activities."
Teacher Timothy Goetz reads a book about Beijing to children at the winter camp.
