Today we focused on Chinese literature and art forms. Our day began with a PowerPoint presentation of the history of Chinese literature, explaining the origin and circumstances surrounding the great literary works of philosophy and religion. The different dynasties of China varied greatly from its form of government and guiding philosophy, thus producing different writings. For instance, the Yuan Dynasty lasted from 1279-1368, the Mongols ruled China through an invasion by sheer military strength. Since the people were unhappy with their rulers, they devoted their time to the arts, producing Zaju Operas and two classical Chinese novels: Water Margins and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Shortly after the PowerPoint presentation, a calligraphy instructor came in and taught us traditional Chinese calligraphy with only ink, rice paper, and a brush. Using the techniques she taught us, we created beautiful depictions of mountains, streams, bamboo, flowers, and wild animals.

After lunch, we enjoyed ourselves by watching the animated version of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, available on Netflix. The characters were lively and fun, introducing us to traditional Chinese culture using language and concepts we understand. Near the end of the day, we amused ourselves by playing a couple of rounds of Kahoot, quizzing us on the knowledge that we have learned in the morning. We cheered loudly whenever someone answered a difficult question right, and everyone did excellent overall. During the Kahoot, we were able to pause and ask questions about anything we did not understand. Last, every student participated in a fun M&M and Gummy worm Chopstick relay race. There were two tables set up with a couple of feet in between. The objective of the game is for your team to bring the most amount of candy to one table from another using chopsticks. The game really tested everybody’s chopstick skills! The students tapped each other’s shoulders when they had finished with their cycle of the relay race, and the other carefully moved past them with their chopstick and candy ready.

Today was an incredible experience and everyone learned so much about Chinese literature and art forms through fun activities.

Isabella Che,

5/25/21