On the evening of 10th February, a Lantern Festival Evening Party was held at Stellenbosch University (SU) by Confucius Institute Stellenbosch University (CISU) and South Africa Chinese Culture Development Center. The festival fell on the day before Lantern Festival, 14th February of the ancient Chinese lunar calendar. Faculties and students of Stellenbosch University and other teaching sites, local residences attended this event. Teachers from Confucius Institute at University of Cape Town and Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology were also invited.

The venue was decorated with red lanterns and Chinese knots, creating a lively ambience with joy and rapture.

The show was opened with song performance GongXi GongXi given by students from one of Confucius Institute, Rietenbosch. They brought their best New Year wishes to all the audiences. To introduce Chinese traditional music, Wang Ruibo, teacher from CISU showed a piece of Erhu Solo, Horse Racing. Ethnic costume show by students of Department of Modern Foreign Language in SU brought the show to climax. After that, Chinese oversea students in SU brought Hip-hop dancing piece showcasing their talent. The show ended with dancing performance Jasmine by students from Worsceter High School, another teaching sites of CISU.

After watching the show, audiences savored exquisite Chinese cuisine, including Kung Pao Chicken, sweet and sour fish, Chow Mein and Egg Rolls. They all praised about palatable food.

Amusing traditional Chinese games were also organized. South Africans got the present of their names written in Chinese calligraphy on red paper. They all participated in the games zealously and tried hard to learn to write Chinese character with brush pen.

Student in Stellenbosch University told the journalist, ‘We enjoyed the event very much. The food and performance are fabulous. I really liked Chinese music and food. I hope to learn Chines and study in China in the future, if possible.’

Established in 2007, the Confucius Institute at Stellenbosch University promotes understanding of Chinese language and culture. Lantern Festival Evening Party is an annual event held at the beginning of each semester. This event brought South African people and Chinese people together to celebrate Chinese New Year and dissimilate Chinese culture.