The event for German students to celebrate the Lantern Festival was held on the third floor of the students canteen in Tongji Medical College with the theme of “Experience Chinese Culture, Show Chinese Charm”. Sponsored by Medical Department of International Exchange Office, this event aimed to create the sense of belonging for German students and carry forward the traditional Chinese culture.

Ten German students (7 from University of Duisburg-Essen and 3 from University of Wuerzburg ) have participated in the event who is going to conduct one-month spring internship in Affiliated Union Hospital.

Firstly, Mr. MU Qiqiao, the Manager of this canteen introduced the historical origin and cultural significance of dumplings and Tang Yuan, gave German students an initial exposure to Chinese food culture.

Then, with the help of cafeteria cooks and volunteer classmates, these German students grouped themselves and tried to make dumplings and Tang Yuan. They took the rolling-pin roll out the skin, put the meat filling in it to squeeze them into ear-shaped dumpling or put the red bean paste in it to wrap into the round Tang Yuan. By experiencing such procedure in person, the young Germans not only enjoyed hands-on fun, but also learned some Chinese cousine which he may boast in the future.

During the event, the German students exchanged with four Chinese volunteers peers from the first clinical school friendly. German students told their experience in China while the volunteers sharing some interesting anecdotes happened in their internship and photos. The event lasted from 4 p.m to 7 p.m, they enjoyed a variety of Wuhan specialties foods and chatted with each other freely and cheerfully.

As an important part of the international exchange program in Tongji Medical College, this event provided a platform for German students to understand and experience Chinese culture intensively, strengthened their recognition and reflected the core essence of people-to-people exchanges. We truly believed that these German students would remember the warm moments in Tongji and become the messengers inheriting the traditional friendship.