Melbourne Girls' College

A Magical Chinese Experience

By Alex McCurry 7L1

On the 27th of June we got a sneak peek of what it would be like to study Chinese next year! I can describe this event in one word: fantastic, inspiring, magical, funny… oops that’s a bit more than one. I would rate the incursion 100/10.

At the start Ms Chen, one of the incredible Chinese teachers, welcomed us and talked about what we were going to do for the following hour and this I will talk about in detail. After speaking Ms Chen introduced Emily McDonald, former MGC pupil who graduated in 2013 and chose Chinese as her language to study all the way back when she was in year seven. Ella described that decision as the best decision she’s ever made. She has transferred for a year, studied in Shanghai, studied the Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Chinese, met and became friends with people all over the globe and did incredible things, just because of that one decision.

Next up we had a few instrumental performances from our very own international students that were so, so beautiful. I had no highlight of the experience as I loved every performance tremendously but a few of those instrumental performances were close winners. One of the performances was two girls playing a song, one playing the piano, the other playing a two-stringed instrument called an erhu and it was just so amazing; I could listen to it for days and days straight.

 

Then a professor from Melbourne University came and introduced to us the song, which is the most renowned folk song in China. He told us about how it was turned into a dance to celebrate things like marriage, a new human being brought to earth and things like that. He danced for us and let us all come up to have a go. He used a handkerchief as a dance prop that added a certain element to the dance and he taught as how to use it and everything! From a person who did it, trust me as I say, that it was a magic moment as it was just so much fun, trying something new with your friends and fellow pupils watching you and performing with you. Then it came to the end and we walked out of the doors knowing that we had a hard decision to make. One thing we knew for sure: languages opens eyes and doors!

Chinese Culture Day

On Friday the 19th of July, we celebrated the 6th Chinese Culture Day at Melbourne Girls’ College (MGC). Dignitaries were invited. Mrs Robin Matthews, the National President of the Australia-China Friendship Society, Mr Anthony Leone and Mr Tower Liu, President and Vice-President of the Australia-China Friendship Society, Victorian Branch were present.

Mrs Karen Money, Principal of MGC made the opening speech. She highlighted the importance of studying foreign languages in an ever-changing world. Ms Chen, the Confucius Classroom Leader also stressed that in today’s globalized world, the ability to communicate in more than one language is an indisputable advantage. With the rise of China, Chinese has become increasingly important in the business world.

At MGC, we not only run Chinese language classes, but also a great variety of cultural activities. This year, we celebrated the Chinese New Year in Term 1, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Year 7 Chinese Cultural Experience Incursion in Term 2 and the Chinese Culture Day in Term 3. The Chinese Culture Day, in particular, showcases how rich and ancient the culture is. It was a fun day full of excitement and vigour. Below are some extracts from student reflections:

‘I really enjoyed the whole day, doing many different activities that relate back to China. It was very educational so I learnt a lot, but I was taught in an engaging and fun way.’

  • Shasha Marriott, 10L2

‘I really enjoyed being involved in the Lion Dance Movement. I thought it was a fun and interactive way to lead us into the Chinese culture.’

  • Lorraine Sanares, 9D

‘My favourite workshop were the Chinese Knotting and the Chinese Inventions. I enjoyed the bracelet knotting as it was very relaxing and the bracelets were pretty.’

  • Rania Widjanarko 10M1

‘This Chinese Culture Day was quite fun. I enjoyed watching all the performances. The rap was really good and the music was really nice to listen to. My favourite activity was learning the Lion Dance.’

  • Julia Jessop, 9B

‘I really enjoyed the entire day and thought it was extremely interesting.’

  • Jen Mabanag 10 L1

The students have summed up the day’s activities very well. We are so happy to hear that you really enjoyed the day. We hope to see you again at next year’s Chinese Culture Day and all the other fun events.

The Confucius Classroom Team