As the Lunar New Year approaches, the countryside is quietly filled with the joyous atmosphere of the festival. "Drinking Paotang" is a time-honored folk custom in rural areas of southwestern provinces in China, and it serves as a joyful prelude to the Spring Festival for people in Sichuan.
On January 20, 2024, the "Leshan 2024 First Annual Pig Culture Festival" was held in Jianfeng Town, Shizhong District, Leshan City. Fifty-three students and teachers from Laos, Nepal, and Tanzania at Leshan Vocational and Technical College participated in the event.
The "Thousand People Eating Paotang" activity is aimed at promoting traditional New Year customs and boosting rural tourism. It allows participants to immerse themselves in the unique New Year culture of Leshan's new countryside. During the event, international students experienced traditional folk activities such as playing壶 (a traditional Chinese game), paper-cutting, guessing lantern riddles, printing New Year pictures, and enjoying the Paotang. They also watched performances of Sichuan Opera face-changing, dragon and lion dancing, and the annual pig sacrifice. Despite the unfavorable weather, the international students remained highly enthusiastic.
Leshan Vocational and Technical College has always adhered to a "one main thread, three combinations, and five integrations" training model in the education of international students. The "one main thread" is dedicated to cultivating international students who "know China, are friendly to China, and love China," spreading Chinese voices and telling Chinese stories. The "three combinations" refer to integrating academic and non-academic students, long-term and short-term programs, and the first and second classrooms in the student training methods. The "five integrations" mean integrating Chinese and international students, combining China's national conditions education with professional education, integrating international student training with professional colleges, combining in-class and out-of-class activities, and integrating recruitment with alumni relations. By deeply developing the "Perceiving China" national conditions brand courses and the second classroom, the college strengthens the education on China's national conditions for international students.
The "Slaughtering the Year Pig and Tasting Folklore: Celebrating the Chinese New Year in China" event is an important part of the "Perceiving China" cultural experience in the second classroom for international students at our school. It is a key component of the school's efforts to strengthen international student education, enhance their understanding of Chinese traditional culture and rural revitalization, and enrich outdoor practice.
