On January 21st, SUFE warmly held a Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner for the students who stayed in school during the Spring Festival on the second floor of the first cafeteria. Zhou Yaming, Director of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Ding Liang, Director of Student Affairs Office, Ding Jian, Deputy Director of Office, SUFE administrators Xu Tao, Yao Lingzhen, He Pengcheng, Liu Liya, Zhou Guoliang, Jin Yuying, Cao Dongbo, Chu Hua, as well as the heads of the relevant functional departments, schools and colleges, supervisors and the students staying in the university, totaling more than two hundred people to celebrate the Chinese New Year together. International students from nearly 20 countries, including Myanmar, Kazakhstan, and Bangladesh, also participated in the party and shared the rich flavor of Chinese New Year.
The Chinese New Year Celebration opened with a folk music ensemble “Golden Snake Dance” overflowing with an intense festive atmosphere of the New Year.
On behalf of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Education, Zhou Yaming greeted the hard-working teachers and enterprising students of SUFE. He said, SUFE adhered to moral education, anchored in the national strategy, and concentrated on the reform of the “acceleration of SUFE” in 2024, at the same time, he said that the new era urgently needs first-class finance and economics universities, outstanding financial disciplines and outstanding financial talents, and encouraged SUFE teachers and students with one heart and one mind in the new year, painting a new scroll in 2025, and making a new record in 2025.
On behalf of SUFE, Xu Tao, Chairperson of University Council, delivered a New Year's address. He said that SUFE is very concerned about the students who cannot go back home for New Year's Eve for various reasons and showed the love and care of the warm family of SUFE by organizing the New Year's Eve dinner for the students who stayed on campus during the Spring Festival. He hoped that students could live and study happily during the Spring Festival, and remembered to make a New Year's call to their families to thank their parents for years of parenting. Finally, Xu Tao encouraged the students to continue to “roll up their sleeves and work hard” in the new year and looked forward to witnessing the development and growth of all of them.
During the Spring Festival Celebration, SUFE Art Troupe presented the folk music ensemble “Spring of Tianshan Mountain”, solo “Initial Dream”, piano solo “Spring Festival Overture” and other colorful cultural performances for the audience. International students brought the Myanmar traditional dance and the multi-language chorus song “Two Tigers” to drive the festive atmosphere of the scene. Teachers from the Logistics Industry Development Center also brought a well-choreographed dance “As You Wish”.
Among programs, interesting interactive games were interspersed, and teachers and students were actively involved in the program with continuous laughter. Zhou Yaming and Xu Tao one by one to the students to pay friendly New Year's greetings and issued New Year red envelopes, the activities of the scene are full of festive and reunion of the New Year atmosphere.
SUFE also prepared birthday surprises for students whose birthdays were in January. Xu Tao sent birthday gifts to the six students, and the whole audience of teachers and students sent birthday wishes. Xu Tao and the six birthday students cut the New Year's cake, which symbolizes the happiness and blessings of the new year. SUFE also prepared customized Chinese New Year gift packs for the students and teachers, including postcards, couplets, red envelopes, stationery, and food gift boxes with unique cultural creations of SUFE.
Before the New Year's Eve dinner, Chinese and foreign teachers and students participated in a variety of folk culture experience activities, in which they enthusiastically pieced together handmade lanterns, wrapped dumplings, wrote Chinese couplets and lucky words, popularized lucky drawings, and DIY Chinese New Year buckets, experiencing the unique charm of China's excellent traditional culture in the activities.
Here are insights from participating students:
Ge Jianing, Graduate Student, Institute of Finance and Economics, Class of 2022
This is the second time I have spent Chinese New Year at school, and the activities at SUFE have warmed my heart like the sun in Spring. Before the New Year's Eve dinner, I also experienced colorful folk activities with my students who stayed on campus, and my heart was full of joy and satisfaction. I was deeply impressed by Prof. Xu Tao's instruction that even if you are in a foreign country, you should not forget your family, and you should call your parents on the occasion of the Spring Festival to convey the love and thoughts in your heart.
Sun Mingjun, Undergraduate Student, School of Statistics and Data Science, Class of 2021
Waving goodbye to the Year of the Dragon and welcoming the Year of the Snake. The New Year's Eve dinner was filled with the strong flavor of New Year, the wonderful performances and interesting interactive games drew the teachers and students to laughter, and the folklore experience under the stage also let the crowd feel the traditional culture of the New Year. In this cheerful atmosphere, everyone cheered up to welcome the coming of the New Year. This kind of interaction made everyone feel happy and the warmth of the SUFE family.
Armando (Mozambique), Graduate Student, International Cultural Exchange School, Class of 2023
The New Year's Eve dinner event was lively and energetic, with elaborate setups, great performances, and joy. Participating in an event like this makes me understand and appreciate Chinese culture even more. The colorful decorations, music, dancing, and delicious food all highlight the charm of traditional Chinese culture and make me feel at home at SUFE!
(From Office of Student Affairs)
