Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration colours student residents' life

A Mid-Autumn Festival celebration co-organized by the Student Residence Office and Halls of Residence of the Student Development Services on 5 October at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) gave non-local students a taste of moon cakes and Chinese traditions.

The event drew more than 100 participants, allowing both local and non-local students to share the joy of this festive season.

“Even though I knew little about the festival, I could feel its warm atmosphere,” said Josh Pringle, an exchange student from the United States at the Department of Public and Social Administration who took part in the celebrations.

“Local and exchange students are here to taste moon cakes and gaze at the moon together. I believe this is the essence of ‘reunion’ in the Mid-Autumn Festival,” Josh said.

The activity shows that CityU’s internationalized campus facilitates cultural exchanges between its local and non-local students. The celebration also enhances interaction between these students and facilitates inter-hall cooperation.

Traditional Mid-Autumn activities such as lantern riddles plus food and tea tasting were included, and to help acquaint exchange students with a taste of traditional Chinese arts, local students from the Halls of Residence introduced Chinese calligraphy and painting to non-local students. The International and Non-local Students Office also provided information about the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival to non-local students via their booth.

“It is really special to celebrate a traditional Chinese festival like the Mid-Autumn Festival with exchange students at CityU. This is the best chance for local students to introduce

the unique Chinese culture,” said Kenny Cheung Koon-yin, a Year 3 student in the Department of Management.

Mr Mohan Narasipuram, a residence tutor in Chan Sui Kau Hall and an associate professor in the Department of Information System, took part in the gathering with his family. "It provided a great opportunity for non-local students to experience local culture and to meet people outside of the campus. This is an enjoyable occasion in which non-local students can experience the joyfulness of Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong,” Mr Narasipuram said.

There are 230 exchange students studying at CityU this year, and the total number of non-local students is around 1,200, including undergraduates and postgraduates from 20 countries around the world.