Recently, the "Solar terms Talks: Qingming" Chinese and International Students’ Cultural Experience Event was held at our university. More than 20 international students from countries including Turkmenistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Chad, and Venezuela, along with Chinese student representatives, participated in the event. Through various interactive formats such as historical storytelling, bilingual quizzes, and hands-on making of qingtuan (sweet green rice balls), the participants experienced the profound heritage of traditional Chinese solar terms in an immersive way, fostering cross-cultural friendship among youth.

This cultural sharing session took the origin and customs of the Qingming Festival, a traditional Chinese spring sacrificial festival, as its starting point, and introduced relevant knowledge about the festival. Qingming Festival dates back to ancient times, embodying both natural solar term and humanistic connotations. It is now a national intangible cultural heritage and a statutory public holiday. The speaker began with the legend of Jie Zitui from the Spring and Autumn period, who was said to have cut flesh from his own thigh to save his starving lord, and then traced the historical integration of the Cold Food Festival (Hanshi) with the Qingming solar term. Special emphasis was placed on the astronomical significance and phenological characteristics of Qingming. Finally, the speaker explained the humanistic philosophy behind traditional customs such as tomb sweeping and ancestor worship, spring outings, and wearing willow branches — reflecting both "remembering the past with reverence" and "embracing nature."

During the cultural experience session, Chinese and international students were mixed into teams for a fun quiz, competing to answer questions about the date of Qingming, the origin of the Cold Food Festival, the meaning of wearing willow branches, and traditional festive foods. This interactive format deepened their understanding of China’s 24 solar terms. In the qingtuan DIY activity, they kneaded glutinous rice dough mixed with mugwort juice, and filled it with red bean paste, egg yolk and pork floss, etc. Through hands-on practice, they experienced the poetic spring charm of "Cold Food day, qingtuan shop, willow branches drooping low," and appreciated the hopes and yearnings embodied in traditional Chinese cuisine.

"Solar terms Talks" is a valuable exploration by the university to innovate the form of international education in China. Using traditional festivals as a vehicle, the event guides Chinese and international students to perceive the excellence of traditional Chinese culture through immersive experiences. In the future, the university will continue to cultivate the "Solar terms Talks" cultural brand, following the rhythm of the four seasons, to build more diverse and deeper cultural exchange platforms for Chinese and international students, strengthen national conditions education, and promote mutual learning among civilizations.