An open class on Chinese language was held at the Hunan Library on March 14. The class theme was “making a paper Hanfu and learning Chinese language”. It was the library’s first Chinese language learning activity held under the program of “Chinese Corner” for foreigners living in Hunan Province.

Hanfu is the traditional clothing system of Han people – China's dominant ethnic group. Its history dates back to 4,000 years ago. 

Foreigners attending the open class pose for a group photo. 

MS.Ji Wenxiu from the Changsha University of Science and Technology gave a detailed introduction about the distinct characteristics, origin, evolution, and cultures of the costume. She also invited international learners to try on the clothes, which allowed them to appreciate the charm of the traditional Han style costumes and the grandeur of Chinese culture. 

Learners later tried their hands at making paper Hanfu costumes. Under MS. Ji’s guidance, they on the one hand experienced the joy of "making clothes”, and on the other hand learned a lot of useful Chinese expressions when interacting with the teacher. 

MS. Ji teaches foreigners to make a paper Hanfu. 

The “Chinese Corner” is a themed program of the Hunan Library. It has organized many widely-favored hands-on activities for foreigners involving intangible cultural heritage, Peking Opera, traditional Chinese instruments, and traditional Chinese festivals.

Starting from January 25 this year, Chinese has officially become an official language of the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Chinese as a foreign language has thus become more and more popular all over the world.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: Voice of Hunan