Celebrating the Year of the Horse

This year we welcome the Year of the Horse, with Chinese New Year beginning on 17 February and concluding on 3 March with the Lantern Festival. Throughout this festive season, Chinese classes at SPSC marked the Spring Festival through a range of engaging and meaningful learning experiences.

Apart from the dumpling-making activity, the Year 8 Chinese Background class continued the celebrations by learning 《过年的歌》 (“Chinese New Year Songs”), confidently performing both rap and singing sections. They also practised calligraphy, writing auspicious New Year blessings on red paper — decorations traditionally displayed on doors to welcome good fortune.

Year 7 Chinese Background students designed and created red packets inspired by the Year of the Horse, combining creativity with cultural understanding. Meanwhile, Year 7 Chinese learners collaborated on a vibrant dragon display to celebrate their learning of Chinese characters (汉字). Each student selected a meaningful Hanzi — such as love (爱), friendship (友), strength (强), or happiness (乐) — and carefully wrote it with attention to correct stroke order and neat presentation.

The individual pieces were then assembled into the body of a colourful dragon, symbolising strength, unity and good fortune. This collaborative artwork strengthened students’ understanding of Hanzi while encouraging reflection and creativity.

We are very proud of the thought and effort invested in this meaningful project. Year 9 students deepened their cultural knowledge by learning about traditional New Year customs in Chinese and creating detailed paper cuttings featuring 春 (spring) and 马 (horse), connecting vocabulary learning with artistic expression.

The Year 10 class explored contemporary celebrations by watching segments of the Spring Festival Gala and were particularly impressed by the robots performing martial arts — a striking example of how tradition and innovation coexist in modern China. Senior students in the combined Year 11 and 12 SACE Chinese Background class demonstrated focus and skill as they wrote Spring Festival couplets using Chinese brush calligraphy, appreciating both the literary beauty and cultural significance of this centuries-old tradition.

At SPSC, celebrating Chinese New Year is more than marking a traditional festival. It is about bringing language to life — connecting culture with creativity, history with innovation, and learning with community. Through music, art, calligraphy and shared experiences, our students experience Chinese not simply as a subject, but as a living and evolving culture. As we enter the Year of the Horse — a symbol of energy, determination and progress — we look forward to another year of curiosity, growth and shared celebration.

Apart from the dumpling-making activity, the Year 8 Chinese Background class continued the celebrations by learning 《过年的歌》 (“Chinese New Year Songs”), confidently performing both rap and singing sections.

Please click here to see video. 

Fangfang Qiu
Coordinator of Chinese