When the Lunar New Year approaching with blessings, YCIS Beijing blossomed into a cultural event that spanned the whole school, connected families, and blended tradition with creativity. From the tender voices of ECE children singing Yuan Ri, to the Primary school’s "Beautiful China" journey across mountains and rivers, and further to the Secondary school’s student-led, whole-school Temple Fair—this Lunar New Year, we engaged with the same cultural warmth in various ways, writing a shared Spring Festival memory for the YCIS Beijing community. Let us look back on this festive time filled with joy, warmth, and growth.

Sing in Spring, Fun in Fair

ECE "Double Joy" Celebration

As the Chinese New Year drew near, the ECE community came together for a ‘Double Joy’ celebration, full of childlike joy and traditional charm.

Guided by the theme Celebrating with Song, Embracing Tradition, the ECE team curated a complete festive experience, from stage performances to hands-on fairground activities. The concert opened joyfully with Every Dance Now, followed by heartwarming performances from each class: the Turtle Class shared sincere New Year wishes with Happy New Year; the Dolphin Class sang tenderly of Year After Year; the Coral Class evoked nostalgic festive memories with The Laba Song; and the Whale Class creatively brought tradition to life through New Year Greetings with Idioms. Finally, all teachers and children joined together in singing Yuan Ri, welcoming the new year with clear, uplifted voices.

With the music still lingering, the children immersed themselves in the ECE’s specially arranged temple fair. They crafted their own auspicious “Zodiac Horse” and enjoyed the classic game of touhu (arrow pitching). Parents also took part in “Spring Blessings Collection” – writing the character Fu (福) by hand, exchanging warm wishes, and soaking up the joyful, laughter-filled festive atmosphere.

More than just an audio-visual experience, this was a meaningful moment of parent-child connection and a true immersion in culture. Against a warm backdrop woven together with singing, laughter, the scent of ink and creative hands-on activities, every family helped create a precious Chinese New Year memory – rich in ritual and heartfelt warmth.

A Moving Classroom

A Living Culture

Primary "Beautiful China" Celebration

The "Beautiful China" cultural celebration at our Primary School unfolded like a splendid scroll painting, bringing the richness of our nation’s heritage vibrantly to life across the school grounds. Pupils, staff, and families embarked together on a remarkable journey across the vast landscapes of China.

Our Year 6 pupils began a profound cultural exploration, from sipping tea in a recreated Beijing Siheyuan courtyard to experiencing the dynamic glow of Shanxi shadow puppetry and the spirited atmosphere of a Sichuan hotpot station. Year 5 delved into regional encounters—sketching intricate Xinjiang Atlas silk patterns, crafting fragrant Yunnan sachets, and deciphering the lively dialect of Chongqing. Year 4 focused on evocative details: the distinctive flavours of Hunan, the elegant lines of Fujian’s Tulou buildings, and the paper-cut snowflakes of Heilongjiang. Our youngest pupils in Years 1–3 began their cultural journey through engaging hands-on activities, from painting Jiangsu oil-paper umbrellas and shaping Shandong Hua Bobo steamed buns to creating Mongolian patterned paper-cuts.

This vibrant tapestry was woven even closer through the invaluable partnership with our parents. Many generously gave their time as cultural ambassadors, sharing skills and stories, and strengthening the essential bond between home and school. The celebration was further enriched by a specialist talk on Imperial New Year traditions and a spirited inter-house competition, which culminated in the impressive collaborative creation of a “Year of the Horse” mural in just forty minutes.

More than a display of regional customs, the festival offered a heartfelt immersion into the depth and splendour of Chinese civilisation. Through making, tasting, sharing, and discovering, culture became a tangible, cherished experience—a living memory woven into the fabric of our community.

Student-Led, Culture-Shared

YCIS School Temple Fair

Run by Secondary

Our Secondary community demonstrated excellent leadership in organising this whole-school Spring Festival Temple Fair. Students had the opportunity to create a wide range of festive handicrafts, savour traditional delicacies such as candied hawthorns and millet flour tea, and purchase intangible cultural heritage crafts—including dough figurines, pinwheels, paper-cuts, and sugar paintings. Our enthusiastic students also took part in sugar figure blowing and wrote personalised Spring Festival couplets, pouring their hopes for the new year into brush and ink.

Special thanks go to all our Chinese teachers for their wonderful work, and to our Year 12 students for their support in bringing this lively, engaging and vibrant event to life. The Spring Festival Temple Fair was far more than a source of entertainment; it celebrated the richness of Chinese culture, values and beliefs, and helped nurture our students as global citizens with a genuine appreciation for cultural diversity.

This year, we were delighted to welcome a spectacular lion dance performance—a breathtaking display of colour, music and movement that sparked joy across our student and parent community, and embodied the true spirit of togetherness. Families were also invited to hang wish cards on the Wishing Tree, adding luck and prosperity to their hopes for the year ahead.

The success of this year's Chinese New Year Celebration reflected our students' willingness and determination to learn with open minds and curiosity. 

We extend our gratitude to every student, parent, and staff who made the celebration such a wonderful experience. We look forward to the next community event. Wish everyone a happy Chinese New Year and a prosperous year of the Horse.