University of Calgary celebrates China Day on campus

By Claudia Wong, January 24 2017 —

A celebration of Chinese culture was held on Jan. 23 at the University of Calgary in MacHall.

Coinciding with the Chinese New Year, “China Day” was a collaboration between the Chinese Students’ Society, the China Scholarship Council Students and Scholars Association, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association and the University of Calgary International office.

“We think it’s important to engage student clubs and the academic community,” U of C international relations director Glynn Hunter said.

The afternoon consisted of a variety of Chinese performances including Wushu, tai chi and Chinese dance, while the evening portion of the event included a workshop, a mindfulness lecture sponsored by the U of C’s Campus Mental Health Strategy and a movie screening.

For the mindfulness workshop, U of C psychiatry professor Allan Donsky defined mindfulness for both the east and the west.

“Most of us are living our lives with our mind somewhere else, typically in the past. [The present] is the only moment where you’re fully alive,” Donsky said.

An evening  screening of Chen Kaige’s Together was presented after the mindfulness workshop. The film revolves around a father-son duo that moves to Beijing to further the son’s prodigal talent at violin.

The U of C’s second part of China Day will be held on March 1. It will focus on how economics and politics in China influence business.

Correction: A previous version of this article mentioned the event was on Jan. 22. It was actually on Jan. 23. The Gauntlet apologizes to its readers for this error.