As the school year comes to a close, it’s good to take time to celebrate the learning that has taken place and the memories that have been made over the course of the semester. With PPTs, short skits, and musical numbers, the Chinese Language Class Talent Show provides the perfect combination of academics, food, and fun.
The talent show was held on 10 May and was organised by the Chinese Language and Culture Centre (CLC). Swansea University exchange student Keziah Ruth O'Hare and CLC lecturer Candy Cai were the emcees. This event brought together students and teachers from six different Chinese Language classes to showcase various aspects of the language and culture during the last several months.
This talent show was organised by the Chinese Language and Culture Centre
Exchange students taking Intermediate Chinese level 1 gave short presentations called “China in My Eyes,” which talked about their personal experiences with coming to China. The presentations were given entirely in Mandarin, which is impressive, considering some students were new to the language.
The Travel Chinese Class performed a song and dance routine about travelling to different cities in China. Complete with props: fans, toy steamed buns, and a long spout teapot made of paper, the class sang several verses, each highlighting a different aspect of Chinese Culture.
Practical Chinese attendee and DCC Foreign Intern, Philip Wels, gave a humorous presentation on “English, Chinglish, and Chinese”, which took a fun, light-hearted look at some of the strange translations and spelling that happen when moving between languages.
The students played "Truth or Dare"
Members of the Elementary Chinese I class bravely performed a dramatized version of the game “Truth or Dare.” Starting the game, Swansea University exchange student, Rowan McCaffrey, chose “truth” and was asked who she liked more, Sam or Haoran. She said she liked Haoran more. Next, Keziah Ruth O'Hare chose “dare” and sang a funny Chinese song “I Miss You.” From here on out, it was all dare. The second dare required Chungbuk National exchange student, Su Han Woo, to get photos of three audience members. Then University of Seoul exchange student, Ho Yeon Choi, had to do a little dance. For the last dare, Concordia University-St Paul, Samuel Gates needed to ask someone from the audience for their WeChat details. He was shot down and rejected when CLC Associate Professor, Dr Jenny Cui, told him she didn’t have her phone with her.
Both Elementary Chinese II and Intermediate Chinese II had solo performances. University of Kent exchange student, Vinay Joshi, read a beautiful poem in English while Candy Cai provided a Mandarin translation. DST Foreign Intern Jenna Otto sang the songs “I Love You China” and “Fly Me to the Moon” in an encore to end out the day.
Of course, no award show would be complete without games, a lucky draw, and, of course, awards. Three lucky drawings were held throughout the event, and winners received Chinese Character puppets if their ticket was called.
Games included “Skip 7 and 7s,” where everyone counted in Chinese, skipping any number that contained a 7 or that was a multiple of 7. So, for example, if someone accidentally said a number such as 17 (contains a 7) or 28 (which is 7 x 4), they were “out” and had to sit down. The game ended with the 6 remaining participants playing Rock-Scissors-Cloth to select a winner after the counting exceeded 110.
“Say It Backwards” required contestants to repeat short Chinese phrases in the reverse order: Ni Hao becomes Hao Ni. University of Kent exchange student Vinay Joshi took on Hamline University exchange student Catherine Stolz losing her by 1 point. Chungbuk National exchange student Sun Jeongeun challenged ELC Foreign Intern Aleksandr Crow in this minute-to-win-it game and lost by just one phrase.
Charades is a crowd favourite for cross-language games and requires quick thinking from both the guesser and clue-giver. Not allowed to speak any English, the clue-giver could speak Mandarin, mime actions, or draw pictures on the board. Team Jenna Otto-Aleksandr Crow won the round over Team Sun Jeongeun-Josiah Lindquist by a handful of words.
The students were put into teams to play "Charades"
The celebration culminated with students receiving certificates for their Chinese classes and taking a group photo.
This is the last semester room E207 will be used by the Chinese Language Classes. Next year all the courses will be held on New Campus. It brings back fond memories of the teachers who have used this room over the last decade. In a way, it’s even a little sad. Yet, the fun memories and language learning will continue in the new space for many years to come.
Reporter/Photographer: Philip Wels (DCC)
Editors: Samuel Burgess (MPRO), Deen He (MPRO)
