University of Rwanda hosts event to celebrate Chinese Spring Festival

KIGALI, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- A cultural event to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon was held Friday in the Rwandan capital of Kigali.

The event at the Confucius Institute of the University of Rwanda was mainly attended by students learning the Chinese language at the institute. Activities included a lecture on the introduction of the Spring Festival, paper cutting, and writing Chinese characters representing luck and happiness.

Zeng Guangyu, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute, said the event was used to teach students about Chinese culture and let them feel the atmosphere of the Chinese Spring Festival.

Hidaya Ikirezi Uwase, a mechanical engineering student at the University of Rwanda, said she was impressed by the paper cutting and Chinese character writing.

"Participating in these activities motivates me to learn more about Chinese culture. If I know more about Chinese culture, it will help me live harmoniously with Chinese people," she said.

The 2024 Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, will fall on Feb. 10, kicking off the Year of the Dragon.