Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Chinese Cultural Evening
Issue date：2025-01-23
After four months of meticulous planning, the 10th Chinese Cultural Evening (CCE) of UWC Changshu China concluded with a resounding success on January 17th!
This spectacular event, which lasted over two hours, celebrated a decade of tradition. It showcased 17 unique performances and included 150 participants from more than 20 different countries. Every participant, both on stage and behind the scenes, contributed enthusiastically to crafting a diverse feast of Chinese culture!
Click the video to
watch the highlights of CCE 2025
Ten years ago, Madam Li brought the tradition of CCE to UWC Changshu China, building on its 20 years of success at UWC Li Po Chun. Over the past decade, through hard work, we've built a dedicated and talented CCE team. The event has evolved and innovated year after year, making the annual CCE a shining symbol of Suzhou’s cultural scene.
The theme for CCE 2025 is "Seeking Old Memories, Exploring New Blessings." This theme blends tradition with modernity, inviting everyone on a journey through time and cultures.
Over the past ten years, the CCE stage has showcased traditional performances that serve as reminders of our cultural heritage. From the grand opening lion dance to the spectacular dragon dance finale, and the elegant Kunqu opera that embodies the essence of classical Chinese art, each performance has upheld the original cultural spirit of the CCE. These performances bring traditional Chinese customs and celebrations into a diverse international community.
The lion dance performance kicked off the CCE event. This year featured the largest number of lion dancers in the past decade, with nine "lions" performing together on stage. The students from the Lion Dance Zhi Xing brought the "lions" to life with energy and amazing skills.
They took on the challenging task of crossing a narrow beam as "lions," thrilling the audience with every move. The air was filled with cheers and applause as each jump and step showcased the hard work and dedication the students had put in behind the scenes, resulting in a truly spectacular performance for everyone to enjoy.
The dance "A Sojourn in the Garden," performed by the Chinese performing arts Zhi Xing, captivated the audience with its smooth and graceful movements. This performance is inspired by "A Dream of Red Mansions," one of the four great classical masterpieces of Chinese literature.
This scene from the book showcased a lively banquet hosted by Grandmother Jia, where guests strolled through the beautiful Grand View Garden. The dance was more than just a performance; it was a vibrant representation of Chinese culture and classic literature.
Additionally, the complex and diverse props this year also posed challenges we had never faced before. We spent a significant amount of time communicating and practicing to ensure the props' transitions would not appear abrupt during the performance. I'm incredibly proud of my team and deeply grateful for all of us coming together to put on such a great show.
In the traditional Chinese martial arts performance, the members of "ZhiGe" Zhi Xing demonstrated the art of Chinese swordsmanship. Swordplay emphasizes the balance between strength and softness, precise control of power and technique, and harmony between the sword, body, and mind.
While respecting tradition, CCE has added new energy to the stage with its creative approach. The lineup includes impressive magic tricks, humorous crosstalk shows, and original plays performed by the faculty. These performances mix traditional styles with modern ideas, offering the audience a refreshing experience. Each bold effort on this stage is a step toward exploring endless possibilities for the future.
Eric Yiming Zhu, a student from FP, brought a magic performance themed "Moment." His act not only showcased his impressive skills but also deeply explored the philosophies of failure and success, as well as randomness and inevitability.
In the first trick, he illustrated the wonder and uniqueness of human connections by "predicting the future." In the second trick, he used a random number provided by the audience to accurately calculate the current time, highlighting the unpredictability of life. Finally, he performed a trick with a broken and then restored rope, combined with the transformation of balloons, prompting reflections on giving up versus persevering in pursuit of one’s dreams.
The song "Friends" showcased the strong bonds of friendship and passion shared by students from around the world. Seventeen students and teachers from different countries performed the song in Chinese, bringing a heartwarming experience to the audience. The photos displayed on screen captured precious moments of friendship, highlighting UWC's values of cross-cultural understanding and emphasizing CSC's unique Chinese learning environment. Music knows no borders, and this song is a beautiful testament to cultural exchange.
The faculty performance titled "The Feast of the Night" was a dazzling display, where teachers from both China and abroad combined elements of poetry, music, fashion, and dance to creatively reinterpret ancient Chinese banquet scenes. On stage, they sang and danced joyfully, with dialogues in a unique mix of Chinese and English, creating a distinctive and engaging performance.
The crosstalk show titled "The Avengers" blends traditional theatrical forms with modern topics. The performers humorously deconstruct superhero movies, share funny school stories, and reference historical tales to connect culture with current events. As an art form rooted in the Chinese language, the cultural impact of crosstalk owes much to the efforts of CCE's language team.
Through creativity and the mindset of a "global citizen," we were able to bring culturally specific references and seemingly untranslatable ideas to a global audience.
Since September 2024, preparations for CCE have been in full swing. Over the past four months, the team has worked tirelessly, starting with forming the leadership and directing teams, recruiting hosts, and selecting the programs. The performances went through three rounds of rigorous reviews before the final rehearsals. Behind this two-hour show was the hard work of more than thirty core team members, directors, performers, technical staff, and teachers, who collectively dedicated hundreds of hours to making it all come together. Their dedication and hard work made this 10th CCE possible, with students directing and performing the entire show themselves.
To celebrate the arrival of CCE, the team organized a series of traditional Chinese New Year activities. The lively temple fairs, dumpling-making workshops, and sugar painting sessions provided students from around the world with an excellent opportunity to immerse themselves in Chinese culture.
Whether it was hanging New Year wishes on a wishing tree, creating lacquer fans, or making candied hawthorns, each activity allowed everyone to experience the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival through interaction. These events not only brought people closer together but also helped more participants gain a deeper understanding of and engage in this warm and meaningful holiday centered around reunion.
Racheli, a DP2 student from Israel, said: "I think holiday seasons always have this nice charm to them, especially when it’s a celebration of a new year. Even though I don’t celebrate the Spring Festival, I enjoyed going to the temple fair and experiencing Chinese New Year celebrations. It felt very warm and cozy and was definitely needed in this cold weather these days :). I feel that CCE has given me the opportunity to understand the traditions and culture of my closest friends over the past two years."
Math teacher Denis, who attended the CCE as an audience member, said, "This year's performance was fantastic. The variety of programs and the quality of the performances really showed how much effort everyone put into it."
Parents who watched the performance were impressed by the event. One parent said, "I didn't expect the students to put on such a high-quality performance! It really deserves a thumbs-up!" Another parent commented, "Before coming today, I heard that this year's CCE would be amazing, and it absolutely lived up to the expectations!"
CCE president, DP1 student Carol Qinying Yao, shared:
This year's CCE marks the tenth anniversary of our school's founding. Therefore, the working committee, directors, and performers all had very high expectations of our work. However, the majority of the core team members are DP1s and FPs, therefore we had little prior work experience.
In the face of challenges, everyone demonstrated courage and patience, actively contributing their wisdom and creativity, and overcoming one challenge after another. It is the spirit of exploration of the unknown, as well as the inheritance and development of CCE, that gives CCE 2025 a unique charm.
As the Chinese New Year approaches and many Chinese students prepare to head home, the 10th CCE comes to a joyful close. We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to every member of the organizing committee, the directors, performers, staff, and all the audience members.
It is through everyone's hard work and support that this cultural celebration has shone so brightly. On behalf of UWC Changshu China, we wish you all a very happy Chinese New Year, and may the year ahead be filled with joy and happiness!
