Children learn Chinese by drawing Spring Festival posters

A new and colorful door opened to welcome the Year of the Dog on the Chinese lunar calendar, with happy dogs about to move into their symbolic house, while next door, which is drab and dull, is already closed after a farewell to 2017, the Year of the Rooster, with tracks announcing the recent departure of roosters.

Four red Chinese lanterns are hanging down from the new door, each bearing a Chinese character jointly to express “Happy New Year” greetings.

This picture, which illustrates a vivid transition between a new year and an old one in Chinese culture, was painted by an ethnic Chinese child, winner of the poster-drawing contest organized by the Real Chinese Academy, a Chinese-teaching weekend school in southeastern London.

After tough selection process, 13 winners came out of 113 participants, most of whom are aged from 4 to 7 years old.

The award ceremony was held on Sunday to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which fell on Feb 16 this year.

Many of the participants are from non-Chinese families living in Bromley, a London district that is about one hour’s drive from the central part of the British capital.

“Children love drawing and painting,” says Xu Zhi, head teacher of the Real Chinese Academy.

“Painting is a universal language. It is a very effective vehicle to promote Chinese culture in the outside world.”

The school launched the poster contest a few weeks before the Chinese New Year, so ethnic Chinese children can learn about the traditional Chinese festival while nonChinese children can have a better understanding of Chinese culture, Xu says.

“For the ethnic Chinese children, this is the way to help them hold on to their cultural roots,” Xu says, adding that most of her students are all born and raised in Britain.

Han Dong, chief executive officer of the London-based Creative Time Media, says the participants were very creative.

“The posters were in different styles,” Han says. “They show you many things which are very Chinese, culturally.”

“For example, the use of bright color and the poster layout give you a feeling that a high-speed Chinese train is traveling across Asia and Europe along the Silk Road,” Han says.

“Some posters show the children’s love of China and Chinese culture.”

Kim Botting, a councilor from Orpington Ward in the London borough of Bromley, says: “It is very important to learn Chinese because Chinese is the language of the 21st century.”

“I will continue to encourage more British children to learn Chinese.”

The Real Chinese Academy was founded in 2006 and it is dedicated to teaching children Chinese and spreading Chinese culture in London. Xu Zhi,

The content of the lectures involve the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, village sanitation, environmental protection, rural tourism and poverty alleviation.

Chen Lun is an attendee of such workshops.

Last year, he transferred 0.27 hectares of land to the village’s cooperative and started to run a restaurant. His family earned 60,000 yuan ($9,450) from dividends, the annual sale of fruit and the restaurant business.

The county started to set up 454 workshops covering all townships and villages in May. Nayong also provides online services for people through new media. Villagers are able to select speakers and lecture time and date on the official website and then physically attend the lectures in their villages.

Guo Yu, Nayong’s director for publicity, says the workshops not only help the masses gain knowledge but also raise Party cadres’ enthusiasm in learning more about government programs.

“Cadres who are qualified to give lectures must do training and pass strict exams. Attendees can grade them after listening to their talks,” Guo says.

The workshops teach the masses concepts as well as skills.

“We help every impoverished household master at least two production technologies,” she adds.

According to government data, some 2,276 speakers in Nayong have given 5,383 lectures to more than 530,000 people since May.

More than 400 cooperatives have been organized in the county to help its poor population with crop and livestock production.

For the ethnic Chinese children, this is the way to help them hold on to their cultural roots.”

head teacher of the Real Chinese Academy in London

Zhao Yandi contributed to the story.