At the invitation of Huawei Mauritius and in the context of their annual ‘Seeds for the Future Programme’ for University students, Confucius Institute at University of Mauritius organized two traditional Chinese art activities: "Peking Opera mask painting" and "Paper cutting", at Huawei company from 11 to 12 October 2022. The training programme gives University students of Mauritius a unique opportunity to explore Huawei’s cutting-edged ICT, experience traditional and modern Chinese culture, and hone their professional skills, free of charge. 40 students from University of Mauritius (UoM), University of Technology Mauritius (UTM), Middlesex University Mauritius, Polytechnics Mauritius, Universite des Mascareignes (UDM), and the African Leadership University (ALU) participated in the 8-days programme. Two traditional Chinese art activities were included in the technological immersion programme.
On 11th October, Professor Zhang Kangfu and Internship teacher Qiu Yue from CI-UOM proposed a fascinating activity of Peking Opera mask painting to the students. The teachers, firstly, introduced the origins and categories of Chinese Peking Opera faces, their symbolic meanings, and their applications. Then, under the guidance of the two teachers, each student actively participated in drawing their favorite Peking Opera faces. At the end of the activity, the students joyfully expressed their interest and fascination for this traditional Chinese art.
On 12th October, the students were treated to another traditional art experience - Chinese paper cutting. The activity was supervised by volunteer teacher Zhang Peilan and overseas volunteer teacher Yu Pengcheng. After learning about the history and functions of Chinese paper cutting, the students tried out their own paper cuttings - "Double Happiness" and “window flowers”. The students hoped to dedicate their first works to their families and friends. The events were thoroughly enjoyed by the participants and ended in a friendly and joyous atmosphere.
Group photo at the ‘Peking Opera Mask’ painting event
Group photo at the paper-cutting event