International students studying in Shanghai eat Laba porridge on the Laba Festival during a celebration with local residents in Jiading district, Shanghai on Jan 18. [Photo/WeChat ID: sh-jiading]
Expats in Shanghai celebrated the Laba Festival together with local residents during a traditional Chinese culture experience activity at the Jiangqiao Town New Era Civilization Practice Sub-Center in Jiading district, Shanghai on Jan 18.
The Laba Festival, which falls on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, takes place on Jan 18 this year. It is considered a prelude to the Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year. It is a custom for people to enjoy a steaming bowl of Laba porridge on this day.
Two international students from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology took part in the activity and savored Laba porridge, saying they learned more about the profound cultural heritage of traditional Chinese culture through the activity.
The activity also featured a Chinese calligraphy session, during which the expats learned to write the Chinese character "福" (meaning "fortune") with brushes and expressed their hopes for the Year of the Dragon.
"I am very fond of traditional Chinese culture. Participating in this activity has deepened my understanding of traditional Chinese culture," said a cultural exchange ambassador from Russia.
A foreigner shows off her Chinese calligraphy work. [Photo/WeChat ID: sh-jiading]