ANCIENT TRADITIONS
Chinese Culture Day embraces Egyptian civilization
The Confucius Institute of Cario University’s Chinese Culture Day was held for the first time at the Egyptian National Museum in the Cario’s Tahrir Square on Monday.
Amid cheers and admiration, the audience stood steady and focused on the shows performed by Chinese and Egyptian students in the great ancient museum’s garden.
Nada Abdel Salam, a 19-year-old student studying in Cairo University’s Chinese Language Department, said the fact the show was held among the museum’s many Egyptian monuments made it very special.
“I was touched to witness the shows of the Chinese culture day surrounded by the ancient Egyptian historical treasures of statutes, tombs and pieces of art,” Abdel Salam, who came with dozens of her peers, told the Xinhua News Agency.
The event included singing, dancing, kung fu and traditional Chinese musical instrument performances, in addition to paper-cutting and Chinese calligraphy classes taught by students and teachers.
Esraa Mohamed, a student at the Confucius Institute, dazzled the audience with her operatic voice by singing the popular Chinese song “The Olive Tree.”
Mohamed said she spent two weeks practicing the song, noting that Chinese songs are difficult but very interesting with meaningful ideas.
She added that culture exchanges and singing are “the easiest roads to captivate the hearts of the people and bridge culture relations in general.”
Salsabeel Madgy, another student dressed in beautiful traditional Chinese clothing, received loud applause while dancing with another Chinese student.
“I came from the Confucius Institute in the coastal city of Alexandria to take part in the culture day in Cairo, and I feel proud to dance here in the Egyptian museum among my old Egyptian ancestors to show them the integration of people thorough art,” Magdy said.
She pointed out that the event gathered students from across Egypt and it was a great chance to make new friends from both countries at the same time.
Established in 2007, the Confucius Institute in Cairo University was the first Confucius Institute in Egypt as well as the first in North Africa.
Displaying the culture day show, which usually takes place in the university’s halls, inside one of the greatest museums in the world is a very important opportunity to spread Chinese culture, said Rehab Mahmoud, the Egyptian director of the Confucius Institute in Cairo University.
“The shows today are watched by tourists from across the world, as well as ordinary Egyptians, not just limited to the Chinese students,” Mahmoud explained.
Wang Enjie, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Cairo University, expressed his gratitude to the Egyptian National Museum for holding the event.
“By cooperating with the museum and putting up a show like today’s, we hope more people will learn about Chinese culture and China too,” said Wang.