International Language Day
12 May 2026
From 20 to 25 April 2026, in celebration of UNESCO’s International Chinese Language Day, the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University (NUCI), in collaboration with the School of Modern Languages (SML), successfully hosted a six-day Chinese Culture Week on Newcastle University campus. Combining immersive cultural experiences with academic exchange, the programme featured five days of outdoor cultural workshops alongside three academic lectures, attracting enthusiastic participation from university staff and students, local schools, and members of the wider community.
The event was jointly coordinated by Professor Yuxiao Su, Chinese Director of NUCI, and Dr Su Fang of SML, programme lead of Newcastle University Chinese Culture Week. From programme planning and poster design to volunteer training and activity coordination, the entire NUCI team worked closely with Dr Su Fang and with one another to ensure the smooth and successful delivery of the event.
Despite several days of strong winds and unusually cold weather during the outdoor workshops, teachers and volunteers remained fully committed throughout, demonstrating remarkable enthusiasm and teamwork.
The programme also received strong support from Newcastle University leadership and colleagues, including Professor Li Li, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global), Andrea Wilczynski, Head of the School of Modern Languages, Ms Lin Lin, Dr Michael Jin, and Steven Li from the International Office, all of whom attended and supported the activities during the week.
The outdoor cultural workshops were organised into three themed sections: Traditional Chinese Crafts, Interactive Sports and Games, and Chinese Wellness and Martial Arts. Participants enjoyed a wide range of hands-on experiences, including calligraphy, paper-cutting, lacquer fan painting, movable-type printing, Chinese zodiac activities, rubbing art, touhu (pitch-pot), table tennis, Tai Chi, Baduanjin, Wuqinxi, Tai Chi sword, and Tai Chi fan performances.
One of the highlights of the opening day was a Hanfu showcase presented by the Durham University Hanfu Society, invited by Dr Su Fang, which attracted large audiences and created a vivid atmosphere of traditional Chinese elegance on campus. Associate Professor Li Rensong, NUCI Tai Chi instructor, also led a series of Tai Chi and Health Qigong performances together with community learners from local library classes. The performances were warmly received and even attracted the attention of the Great North Museum, which subsequently invited Li Rensong to perform at Newcastle’s annual Late Shows 2026 festival in May.
The workshops also produced many memorable moments of intercultural exchange. Among the participants in Professor Li Rensong’s Tai Chi showcase were several senior members of his local library Tai Chi classes, some in their seventies, who remained enthusiastic participants throughout the week — including one remarkable participant aged 87. Professor Yuxiao Su personally guided visitors in Chinese calligraphy, teaching characters such as “福” (fortune), “吉” (auspiciousness), and “春” (spring). One participant of Syrian heritage, after receiving a Chinese name written in calligraphy, later returned with friends to continue taking part in the activities. Other visitors, including UWLP students and families visiting Newcastle from elsewhere in northern England, enthusiastically joined activities ranging from lacquer fan painting to dumpling-making, with many returning for multiple sessions throughout the week.
The Friday afternoon dumpling-making workshop brought the five-day series of cultural workshops to a lively conclusion, with large numbers of Chinese and international students learning to make dumplings while practising related Chinese expressions and sharing cultural experiences in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Alongside the cultural workshops, the six-day Chinese Culture Week also featured three high-level academic lectures delivered by distinguished scholars in Europe’s field of international Chinese language education. Professor Zhang Xinsheng explored Chinese language teaching and culture in the age of artificial intelligence; Professor Li Mingfang discussed teacher beliefs and Chinese teaching practices in the UK; and Professor Joël Bellassen, the world-renowned French sinologist, delivered the concluding lecture on the poetic function of Chinese script, attracting an exceptionally large and enthusiastic audience rarely seen for such academic events. Together, the lectures added significant academic depth to the programme and offered valuable insights into contemporary international Chinese education.
The success of Chinese Culture Week also depended greatly on the dedication of more than twenty volunteers, who supported the activities throughout the week.
Through the combination of immersive cultural activities and high-quality academic events, Newcastle University Chinese Culture Week successfully showcased the richness and diversity of Chinese culture while further promoting intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding between China and the United Kingdom. The Confucius Institute at Newcastle University will continue to develop innovative cultural programmes and contribute to international Chinese language education and people-to-people exchange in the years ahead.