Throughout Lunar New Year, the Lancaster University Confucius Institute team has delivered 21 Chinese days to around 3,000 local school children aged 13 and under in Lancaster, Morecambe, Heysham, Abbeystead, Caton, Dolphinholme, Kendal, Over Kellet, Preston and Barrow-in-Furness.

During the Chinese day sessions, the team taught the children some greetings in Mandarin such as ‘你好 – hello’, ‘新年好 – Happy New Year’ and ‘福 – good luck’. As these sessions have taken place around the Lunar New Year festival, the teachers taught the children some fun facts about the Lunar New Year and Chinese traditions.

The children also had the opportunity to try some traditional Chinese activities such as calligraphy, rabbit paper cuttings, rabbit headbands and lantern-making to celebrate the year of the rabbit.

The teachers taught the children in a fun interactive way through songs, actions and allowing each child to have a go at trying the Chinese activities.

The sessions were personalised depending on the school’s requests and the age of the children.

We have received positive feedback from all of the schools that we visited and have gone on to book more Chinese after-school clubs at local schools.

"Thank you so much to the Confucius Institute for coming and teaching us about the Lunar New Year. The children loved learning how to say and sing 'Happy New Year' in Mandarin. They were so excited to receive the red envelopes and it was wonderful to learn the calligraphy of 'fu' with ink and brushes - especially as they could take their creations home to decorate their houses in preparation for the New Year. It was a really special and engaging session." – St Thomas’s Primary School, Kendal



Meanwhile one of our teachers, based at our teaching site at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery in Carlisle, delivered Chinese assemblies for 987 pupils at 16 local schools in Carlisle and along the north-west coast of Cumbria.

We also offer Chinese days in the summer term. If you would be interested in booking a Chinese day or after-school club, please email ci@lancaster.ac.uk.