GEELONG, Australia, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- During the lunch break on Wednesday at Geelong College, about an hour's drive southwest of Melbourne, several girls dressed in traditional Chinese attire walked across the historic campus, while students gathered inside Morrison Hall to try their hand at Chinese calligraphy, paper lantern-making and traditional bead crafts.
By around 2 p.m., the hall was filling up. As the girls in traditional Chinese dress took to the stage, a Chinese Culture Day performance organized by the Chinese Consulate-General in Melbourne got underway.
Three performers dressed as Daomadan, or female warrior characters in traditional Chinese opera, brandished long spears across the stage. A performer used her hands to create lively animal silhouettes on a screen, while another wielded a long-spouted brass teapot, combining tea pouring with martial arts-inspired movements.
The performance, presented by an arts troupe from southwest China's Sichuan Province, drew cheers and applause from the students.
"I really love the tea dance. It was very cool. I thought the blend of martial arts and dancing was amazing," student Ivy Grey told Xinhua.
Grey, who has never been to China, said the performance had made her even more eager to visit the country.
"After seeing this, I might be booking my flights tonight," she said with a laugh.
Founded in 1861, Geelong College has longstanding ties with China. It is the alma mater of George Ernest Morrison, an Australian journalist and scholar who had served as The Times' correspondent in Beijing.
That connection continues in new ways today.
Shen Feng, a Chinese teacher at Geelong College, said Chinese is taught to all students in the school's primary years, while older students can continue studying it as an elective subject through Year 12.
Every two years, Shen takes a group of students to China, with the trips drawing strong interest among students.
"When they come back, their attitude toward learning Chinese in the classroom changes completely," Shen said. "They know who speaks the language and what the country is really like."
Experiencing China's vastness, long history and diverse cities firsthand helps students see that learning Chinese can open up more opportunities for their future, she added.
Year 11 student Ava Hallebone, one of the hosts of the event, visited China in April this year.
Hallebone, who has been studying Chinese for four years, also represented her school in this year's Victorian division of the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition for secondary school students, finishing among the top five contestants in the state.
She said learning Chinese could be challenging at times, particularly because of the tones and characters, but that it had also brought her many opportunities.
"Chinese culture, I think, is very inclusive," she said, adding that she hopes to continue studying the language after graduation.
Hallebone said she wants to become a doctor and believes knowing another language could also prove useful in her future career.
Geelong College Principal Simon Young said the event gave students an opportunity to engage with Chinese culture firsthand.
"Events like today allow us to discover what makes our cultures distinctive, while also recognizing the values that we share -- friendship, family, creativity, respect and a desire to learn from one another," Young said.
Young said the college was proud to see "a new generation of students continuing to build bridges of understanding, friendship and cultural exchange."
Chinese Consul-General in Melbourne Fang Xinwen said culture is key to deepening mutual understanding, while language serves as a bridge connecting people's hearts.
In recent years, more young Australians have begun learning Chinese and exploring Chinese culture, gaining a fuller and more vivid understanding of China through the language, Fang said.
Seeing so many students actively participating in Chinese cultural activities and exchanges gave him greater confidence in the future of China-Australia friendship, he added.■
