On April 23 and 24, The Confucius Institute at UQ (UQ CI) was invited to deliver workshops on Chinese culture in partnership with Fraser Coast Libraries in Maryborough and Hervey Bay. The Library scheduled these events during the Heritage Festival to acknowledge and celebrate the enormous contribution Australian Chinese have made to our agricultural industries and the prosperity of the Fraser Coast.
Being the first time to connect with the region, the workshops were well subscribed across both venues, providing an excellent opportunity to introduce aspects of Chinese culture to the local community.
For these particular workshops, the focus was on Taichi and Chinese arts and crafts. Master Zhou, a renowned Taichi and Martial Arts expert performed during the workshops, followed by an interactive session with participants introducing warm-up and relaxation drills as well as basic Taichi movements to promote better physical and mental health.
Bracelet and Chinese knot-weaving, as well as traditional Chinese paper cutting were also introduced as part of the session, encouraging all in attendance to test their skills in making colourful bracelets and 3D ‘Spring’ character paper cuts. The arts and craft component of the workshops were facilitated by Ms Vivian Qi and Ms Claire Li, two Chinese teachers passionate and enthusiastic in introducing Chinese culture.
These workshops were highly complementary to UQ CI’s commitment to offering Chinese cultural and language learning opportunities throughout Queensland. UQ CI is thankful for the invitation to deliver these workshops, and looks forward to connecting further with Queensland communities.
