At 7am on October 3, the morning mist had yet to clear at the Hartfield Campus of the University of Pretoria in South Africa, as the 2025 “International Students Day” of the University of Pretoria officially commenced amidst the purple jacaranda-lined avenue.

This year, Confucius Classroom at Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Centre at Sanda University in South Africa (“Confucius Classroom of the Chinese Culture Centre”) attended the grand ceremony as a special guest. Under the theme “Mid-Autumn Moonlight Illuminates China, Shared Emotions Across Ten Thousand Miles,” the event integrated tea art, mooncakes, clapper talk, diabolo, calligraphy, Chinese dance, and national flag parades into a beautiful cultural tapestry of China, becoming the most popular attraction among over twenty country pavilions.

Amidst Teacher Wang Qingchao’s rhythmic clapping, Teacher Yang Yu demonstrated diabolo spinning on-site.

The high-speed rotation and winding friction of the diabolo produced a whistling sound, reminiscent of pigeon whistles at Chinese temple fairs or the swift winds sweeping across the South African plateau. With a flick of his wrist, the diabolo broke free from the string and soared three meters into the air before landing steadily in the rope groove, eliciting a chorus of “Wow” from the crowd.

Seizing the moment, Wang Qingchao quickened the clapping rhythm and delivered a rapid-fire string of Chinese-English rhymes: “Diabolo flies, heart follows, China-South Africa as one family!”

The rhythm intertwined with the diabolo’s whistling sound, instantly packing the exhibition booth to capacity. Several Indian students eagerly tried their hand but repeatedly “crashed”. Yang Yu handed them the diabolo and patiently adjusted the angle: “Let the string dance, not fight.”

Ten minutes later, business school graduate Kunal finally got the diabolo to keep spinning, and he excitedly shouted to his companions: “This is a Chinese yo-yo with kung fu inside!”

WATCH: International Students Day

‘Tea leaves can breathe’

Tawanda, a first-year graduate student from Zimbabwe, watched the Pu er tea awakening at the tea art stall with bated breath. As hot water poured into the purple clay teapot, he followed the guidance of Chinese teacher Yan Yangmei to gently inhale the teas fragrance and wrote in the guestbook: “I want to take this aroma back to Harare.”

At the opposite end of the booth, the rhythmic clinking of mooncake molds against the cutting board echoed continuously.

Amidst the swirling flour, a South African student hoisted the first completed mooncake above his head, shouting “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival” in his newly learned Chinese, drawing a chorus of smartphone shutter clicks.

The Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake experience table buzzed with activity, where students not only got hands-on practice shaping and pressing the dough but also sampled freshly made Cantonese-style double-yolk mooncakes—available in both lotus paste and red bean paste varieties.

At 11am, the parade began. Teachers from Confucius Classroom of the Chinese Culture Centre, dressed in Chinese traditional costumes and holding high the Five-Star Red Flag, marched slowly to the rhythm of “March of the Volunteers”.

The purple of the Jacaranda tree at the University of Pretoria and the red of China thus blended gently together.

The performances by international students from various countries took the stage in sequence, with the festive atmosphere reaching its peak during the finale.

Zhao Lin, a teacher at Confucius Classroom of the Chinese Culture Centre, passionately performed the Chinese dance “Flowers in Full Bloom” to the heavenly melody of Wang Feis song “When Did the Bright Moon Appear”.

The graceful and elegant movements perfectly showcased the classical charm of Chinese culture, drawing waves of cheers and enthusiastic applause from the South African students.

Behind the cultural experiences and stage highlights lies the recurring scenario of enrolment desks being repeatedly “drowned out”.

Dozens or even hundreds of students continuously inquired about Chinese language programs. By the end of the event, the official social media accounts of the “Confucius Classroom of the Chinese Culture Centre” had gained over a hundred new followers.

“The China booth transformed culture into a verb, turning onlookers into participants and participants into learners—this is the most penetrating soft power!” exclaimed Mr. Smart Makubela, International and Postgraduate Consultant at the International Office of the University of Pretoria.

The University of Pretoria, home to 134 international faculty members and 4,008 international students from approximately 133 countries, hosts an annual “International Students Day” event.

This initiative invites over 100 ambassadors and senior officials from surrounding regions to strengthen cultural connections between local and international communities.

The day features exhibitions showcasing diverse traditional attire, music performances, and cultural activities. Each year, the university evaluates these international presentations through its Office of International Cooperation.

The organisers emphasize: “As the Office of International Cooperation, we recognize this celebration as vital for fostering mutual understanding through cultural exchange and collaborative living.”

The Mid-Autumn moon illuminates Central South, as boundless affection intertwines with the shared beauty of the moon. This time, the Confucius Classroom Cultural Journey of the China Culture Center in South Africa visited the University of Pretoria, using the moon as a medium and art to foster friendship, guiding students from various countries through the purple mist beneath the jacaranda trees.

Amidst the fragrance of tea, the aroma of reunion cakes, and the whistling of kites, they touched the warmth of the East.

When the rhythm of clapper talk intermingled with African drumbeats, and the flowing sleeves of traditional Chinese opera blended with the shadows of purple jacaranda flowers, the rhythmic cadences of Chinese transformed into the softest resonance in their hearts.

The event not only made “I want to learn Chinese” the most frequent phrase on site, but also allowed the ancient poetic sentiment of “no distance in knowing each other” to take root and sprout in young hearts.

Where the moonlight of cultural exchange reaches, it heralds the ripening of friendship, adding a warm and luminous silver hue to the grand tapestry of Sino-South African cultural exchanges.

Subsequently, CCTV Channel 4s “Legend China” and the key program “International News” of CCTV successively reported on the participation of the Confucius Classroom at the China Culture Center in South Africa in this event.

Watch video news coverage here.

* Yang Yu, Confucius Classroom at Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Centre, South Africa  

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