On 24th, December, the communication activity for the new Chinese teachers and foreign teachers, organized by the Human Resources Management Office, was held in School of Economics and Management (SEM), with the aim of enhancing the interaction among the new teachers and reinforcing the unity of the faculty in SEM. The main leaders in SEM and some teachers came and participated in the activity. Mr. Guan Liqing, a retired teacher of SEM, was invited as the distinguished guest to teach all the participants how to make Chinese dumplings (Jiaozi). It was the first time for most foreign teachers to make Chinese dumplings and they showed their creativity in making them – the dumplings were molded into different shapes such as buns, Wanton, the moon, and fire circle, etc. When Prof. Christiane Prange, who worked in the Department of Business Administration, tasted the dumplings made on his own, his face brimmed over with delight and joy. He mentioned, “Such an activity is nice and warm. It has strengthened my understanding of the Chinese culture and made me feel at home.”

In addition to the making of Chinese dumplings, the Chinese tea brewing techniques were shown that day. Prof. Lu Yun from Dali University briefly presented to all the participants the history of Pu-erh tea in Yunnan Province and the culture of Chinese tea. She observed, “China is the hometown of tea; tea brings us fragrance and happiness, regardless of countries, nationalities, or skin colors; we can all understand this fragrance and happiness because we all love our life and we all like to explore cultures.” All the teachers participating in the activity tasted the Pu-erh tea and felt what it was like when the time slowed down in this way. The foreign teachers were fascinated by the profound Chinese tea culture and they all expressed their willingness to learn more knowledge of the Chinese tea so as to understand the depth of the Chinese tea culture.

Originally as a way to boost the interaction between the leaders and the teachers in SEM, this activity has also made the foreign teachers understand the Chinese traditional culture better. It has enriched and activated the leisure life of the new teachers and at the same time promoted the friendship among the teachers in SEM. A lot of good outcomes have been gained along with it.

(The news is provided by the Human Resources Management Office in SEM.)