STUDENTS from the Peninsula International School were recently privy to a webinar on Chinese calligraphy.
Hosted by the Confucius Institute at Century University Malaysia and Hainan Shangshu Library, and co-organised by several Malaysian institutions such as Peninsula International School Kuala Lumpur and Yuyouyuan, the event was officially entitled “Chinese and Malaysian Youth Online Writing Spring Festival Couplets to Celebrate the Chinese New Year”.
The principal aim of the online event was to foster greater understanding of Chinese Spring Festival culture and calligraphy knowledge.
Participating students from both China and Malaysia wrote Spring Festival couplets together in an effort to promote cultural understanding.
Sharing their expertise at the event were Prof Huang Cheng Li, former Vice President of Hainan Calligraphy association; Counselor Zhao Changtao from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; An Fuyong, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at SEGi University Malaysia as well as Zhou Sijun, vice president of SEGi University Malaysia.
“Many parents who send their children to international schools want them to have a wider worldview and better cultural understanding of other communities,” said HCK Capital Group Education division’s executive director Felix Lee.
“Many Malaysian Chinese parents also want their offspring to have some knowledge of their cultural heritage. These events are designed to fulfil those needs.”
Students were tutored on the significance of calligraphy in conveying the deeper meaning behind the Lunar New Year and how each brush stroke carried its own significance in welcoming the Year of the Tiger.
“We want our students to understand that the Lunar New Year is more than just receiving Ang Pows and blasting fireworks. As educators, we want them to have a holistic understanding of these festivities and this calligraphy workshop certainly nudged them in that direction,” said Lee.
According to Lee, Peninsula is fully committed to an education philosophy that values inclusiveness and celebrates cultural diversity.
This is the second such calligraphy event that Peninsula students have taken part in and Lee firmly believes that such events provide students with a well-rounded education.
“Participating and experiencing a wide range of activities in a social setting make learning fun, allowing students to develop strong characteristic traits such as a confident personality,” espoused Lee.
“Education is not just about passing exams but character building.”
Participation was not limited to aforementioned international school students but also drew sizeable involvement from students from HCK’s sister company, SEGI Group of Universities and Colleges.
A healthy number of HCK staff were also on hand to learn more from the calligraphy experts.
To find out more about Peninsula’s holistic approach to education, call 03-5033 8000. – Feb 23, 2022
