To celebrate different cultures and showcase the different cultural clubs on campus, UIC held the second annual International Culture and Art Exhibition on 30 October. This year's event was welcomed more than ever.
A taste of German culture
The French Club testing the audience
To start off the event there were passionate cultural introductions from the five student associations of languages; Spanish, French, German, Korean and Japanese. The room was filled with curiosity and interest from staff and students wanting to learn and explore other cultures. Attendees of the event were able to try food from around the world and enjoy special performances, all while learning and enjoying the wonderful charm of different cultural customs.
Games and activites put on by the various clubs
As co-organisers, the five student associations of languages set up booths in their own ways, designed for the staff and students to participate in the activities of various forms of games. The German club allowed attendees to play board games such as “Halli Galli” and foosball, while the Japanese club offered pearl-picking, mask making and info quizzes The Spanish club offered an activity called “You say, I spell” (spelling Spanish words according to the pronunciation) and mini soccer, the French club offered a quick test and the Korean club allowed for people to play with bottle caps and throwing-the-stick game.
Students enjoying learning about different cultures
Interspersed in the scene were wonderful show performances. The Japanese club gave two dubbing shows—‘JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Fate: Carnival Phantasm’. Huang Haoyang, director of dubbing and animation club, shared his experiences on how to achieve his level of dubbing ability. He said, "Have a good state of mind, plus gain experience to help pave the way, then your dubbing practice can go further and better.”
One of the dubbing groups giving a word of thanks
The two shows from the Korean club included a dance of ‘Boy With Luv’, and the other being a duet song ‘Travelling’. With the catchy lyrics and vivid dance moves, the audience seemed to enjoy their performances.
The performers showing off their talents
The most sought-after part of the whole event was the representative food sharing of different countries: the Japanese club presented a dazzling array of sushi, which could be won based on how many correct answers one got for the simple Japan-related questions; the Korean club prepared gimbaps, which are often seen in drama shows; the Spanish club offered the opportunity for people to make and taste Tapas—the quintessential Spanish food. In addition, German club and French club also prepared some unique snacks for everyone to try.
Year 2 DCC student, Jiang Han, is one of the leaders for German club and explained that joining a cultural and language club is a great way to meet people, practice the language and learn more about that culture. She said, “To learn about the culture we have guest speakers, we eat a lot of food surrounding the German culture, post facts and content in our WeChat group and play games and activities.”
German Club member, Jiang Han
Li Xifei, a Year 3 PRA student, is a leader of the Spanish club and she said, “I was inspired to learn the Spanish language after my brother studied in Spain for his masters,” continuing “I joined Spanish club to improve my Spanish and learn more about the culture.”
Spanish Club member, Li Xifei
It is believed that the International Culture Festival is more than a platform where people can share cultures of different countries using the language as the medium, it is also an important way for students and staff at UIC who represent different cultures, to gather as one, and keep perfecting their world outlooks.
Reporters: Lauren Richardson, Jiang Shunmei (Y2, IJ)
Photographer: Lauren Richardson
Editors: Samuel Burgess, Deen He
(from MPRO)
