From January 25 to February 1, 2025, the “Spring Warms Children’s Hearts, Culture Passes On” New Year Chinese Culture Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition, part of the 20th-anniversary celebrations of Athens Chinese School, officially kicked off.

This week-long exhibition took inspiration from the recent inclusion of the Chinese Spring Festival in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Through a variety of immersive cultural activities, the event showcased the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture, bringing a stronger festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year to Greece.

At the event, teachers and students of Athens Chinese School collectively created over a hundred cultural artworks, including calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, drawings, and handicrafts, showcasing their love for and commitment to preserving Chinese culture.

This year marks the first “Intangible Cultural Heritage Spring Festival,” and on January 28, Chinese New Year’s Eve, Athens Chinese School specially invited students and teachers from Athens 64th Primary School to visit the exhibition. They also participated in a series of engaging traditional Spring Festival cultural activities, allowing Greek friends to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese New Year traditions.

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 During the event, students experienced the unique charm of Chinese calligraphy. They learned about the meaning of the character “福” (fu), which symbolizes good fortune, as well as the techniques for writing it. Each student then wrote their own “福” character, sharing their New Year’s blessings.

The traditional game of Tossing the Pot (投壶) was also a big hit. Teachers gave a detailed introduction to its historical origins, and the children eagerly participated, filling the venue with laughter and joy.

In addition, the event featured a special traditional clothing experience, where children had the opportunity to try on a variety of Chinese costumes, including the Ma Mian skirt, Qipao, Xinjiang attire, Tibetan clothing, Hanfu (Scholar), Dai ethnic wear, and Tang Dynasty outfits. This allowed Greek children to experience the beauty of Chinese attire up close.

On the day of the event, Guo Xiaoyu, the Director of the Chinese Embassy in Greece, and Consul Sun Mingyu visited the scene to celebrate the New Year with the children. They not only recognized the contributions of the Athens Chinese School over the past twenty years in preserving Chinese culture and promoting Sino-Greek cultural exchanges, but also presented special New Year gifts to the students and teachers of the 64th Primary School — “Little Golden Snakes” symbolizing the Year of the Snake, adding joy and blessings to the event.

The young volunteers explained to the Greek children the origins and order of the Chinese zodiac. Director Guo Xiaoyu also shared the symbolism of the Snake in the zodiac, which captivated the children’s attention.

The Athens Chinese School has always been dedicated to preserving Chinese culture. Over the past twenty years, through various cultural activities, it has fostered cultural exchange and mutual understanding between China and Greece. This calligraphy and painting exhibition truly reflected the love and resonance of the children from both countries for traditional Chinese culture, allowing more Greek people to experience the intangible heritage charm of the Chinese New Year.

This event was a vivid practice to enhance Sino-Greek friendship and promote Chinese culture. Under the light of Spring Festival traditions, students from both China and Greece shared the beauty of Chinese culture, conveying their respect for and love of traditional heritage.