On the afternoon of February 10, 2026, the Chinese New Year-themed event of Daxia College, East China Normal University, was held warmly at the Student Activity Center on the Putuo Campus. Dai Liyi, Vice President of East China Normal University, Pang Weiguo, Dean of Daxia College, Wang Liyu, Vice Dean, Cheng Haixia, Administrative Director, gathered with students staying on campus during the winter vacation. Amid an atmosphere blending the fragrance of books, tea and flowers, they talked about the New Year and welcomed the festival together with the students, accompanied by reading and connected by culture. Students from different faculties/colleges, grades and nationalities sat around to chat and communicate openly, with laughter and warm feelings filling the venue. Centered on tea tasting, flower arrangement and book gifting, the event integrated the elegance of reading, the beauty of traditional culture and the warmth of the Chinese New Year. The venue was permeated with a warm, elegant, peaceful and festive holiday atmosphere, fully demonstrating the warmth of the college and the vitality of youth.

Tea Ceremony

At the start of the event, the tea ceremony experience lecture delivered by Zhang Hailan, Manager of the 24-hour Reading Space of East China Normal University Press and Doctor of Folklore of East China Normal University, captured everyone's attention with the unique charm of intangible cultural heritage, becoming a core part that embodies the Shanghai-style cultural context and the elegance of the gathering. The tea ceremony experience focused on the Yuanbao Tea (Sycee Tea). A traditional essential drink in the Jiangnan region of China during the Spring Festival, it gets its name from the olive added to the brewed tea, which resembles a sycee (a traditional Chinese gold or silver ingot). Its brewing process consists of six steps: Wishing for Great Fortune, Lifting the Lid Gently, Seeing the "Treasure" When Opening the Lid, Adding Splendor to the Brocade, Wishing for Prosperity and Fortune, and Achieving Success Effortlessly, all carrying people's beautiful wishes for the New Year. As an intangible cultural heritage of Shanghai, Yuanbao Tea bears profound Shanghai-style cultural connotations. This experience is of great significance for inheriting and carrying forward Shanghai-style culture, allowing students to feel the charm and warmth of local intangible cultural heritage while learning and tasting tea. Beside the antique tea tables, students observed the essential skills carefully and learned tea-making with a peaceful mind. Under the meticulous guidance of Dr. Zhang Hailan, everyone completed the procedures of warming the teacups, putting in tea leaves, pouring water and serving tea in order, experiencing the etiquette of the tea ceremony with every pour and sip. The delicate fragrance of tea filled the air and touched everyone's heart. Students raised their teacups to taste Yuanbao Tea together, talking about their winter vacation life and academic insights. The sense of unfamiliarity faded away quietly in the tea fragrance, making the venue warm and lively.

Reading

Dai Liyi, Vice President of East China Normal University, presented new books from the carefully selected winter vacation reading list jointly launched by the university library and the college to the students, and sent his sincerest New Year greetings, encouraging them to study diligently and make greater progress in the New Year. Holding the books in their hands, students exchanged reading experiences and cherished the warmth and encouragement deeply.

Flower Arrangement

Subsequently, Ms. Liu Yan, a National Senior Florist, Researcher of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance and Application Research Center of East China Normal University, Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage inheritor of traditional incense making skills, curator and librarian of the university library, hosted the Chinese traditional flower arrangement gathering. The elegant charm extended from the tea in the cup to the beautiful flowers on the table. A variety of flower materials were displayed in an orderly manner. Students stopped to select them, discussed their designs, pruned the branches and leaves, adjusted the postures and arranged the compositions. They calmed down and showed their ingenuity through hands-on practice, and experienced the implicit beauty and elegant charm of oriental floral art in the process of creation. One exquisite work after another took shape, with flowers swaying and full of vitality. Exclamations and laughter echoed in the venue, adding a touch of poetry and a strong New Year flavor to the students' living and learning spaces.

Student Comments

This is my first year studying abroad and my first time participating in such an event, which was extremely interesting. I initially thought it was just a simple experience of flower arrangement and tea making, but after taking part in it, I found the event was carefully prepared with an excellent experience. I look forward to having more opportunities to participate in various activities held by the college in the future, such as tea tasting and aromatherapy.

——LE THI CAM VAN (Postgraduate of the School of International Chinese Language and Culture, Grade 2025)

I participated in the flower arrangement activity and also volunteered to distribute flower materials. Making a bouquet of flowers by myself gave me a strong sense of participation and brought me a lot of joy. It was a relaxing and meaningful experience.

——Ma Hui (Undergraduate of the Faculty of Education, Grade 2024) 

Through this activity, I learned something about Yuanbao Tea and mastered the Shanghai dialect pronunciation of "olive". The book given by the teacher is also very interesting, and I also made a table flower by myself.

——Liu Xiaokang (Undergraduate of the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, Grade 2023)

This event was really well organized. I had a great time and enjoyed the delicious food. I will definitely participate again in the future. Happy New Year! I sincerely wish my teachers and classmates boundless energy and fighting spirit, good health, peace and joy, and success in all endeavors; may everyone have a happy and healthy New Year and all wishes come true!

——Li Hanbing (Undergraduate of the School of International Chinese Language and Culture, Grade 2025)

The fragrance of books nourishes the time, a cup of tea fills the air with warmth, and a bouquet of flowers blooms quietly with beauty. In the immersive sense of ritual for the Chinese New Year, students truly felt the subtle care and constant company of the college. This warmth and beauty have become the most touching memories in the Spring Festival. As the new year begins a new journey, we march forward hand in hand towards a new chapter. In the future, Daxia College will continue to take warm, high-quality and connotative cultural activities as a link, carefully guard the students' growth path, accompany them with warmth, educate them with dedication, and join hands with the students to welcome the brand-new year and march towards a broader youthful journey.