Festival showcases foreign dance and foods
A Sino-foreign cultural exchange festival featuring performances as well as booths serving mouth-watering delicacies was staged in Xujing Town in Qingpu District on Friday.
The International Day of Western International School of Shanghai is an iconic program of the Chinese and foreign cultural exchange serial activities in Xujing.
A haka dance, a unique dance form of New Zealand, and Mexican-style Zumba dance, were performed by residents of Xujing as well as parents and children of the school, showcasing the unique culture and customs of different countries.
The event was not only a feast for the eyes, but also a banquet for the stomach.
About 30 booths were set up on campus, tempting people with a wide range of foods from desserts and drinks to barbecue delicacies, noodles and fish balls.
Handicraft works and and games were part of the bazaar.
Moreover, Xujing tangchao, or soup "stir-fry," a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage of Shanghai, was showcased, and jiuzi games, or "nine games" traditionally played in Shanghai longtang (lanes), offered a delightful experience for residents, teachers and students.
It was the second time Mark Sawyer, from the United Kingdom, has visited the event, with his six-year-old daughter. He has been in Shanghai for 11 years.
"It is very lively, very happy, and very friendly," he said. "It's very good and there are lots of stalls, lots of foods and drinks from around the world. We love the Polish dessert."
The school has about 500 faculty members and students from 52 countries and regions at present, and is known as a "little United Nations" due to the melting of diverse cultures and languages.
"The event brings together our whole community to celebrate what makes us a true international school and an international community within Qingpu," said David Edwards, head of the school.
He said the turn-out was estimated at more than 2,000.
"The development of Xujing and Qingpu is extraordinary, which is consistent over the past decades, and we are very proud to be an early member of that development and be a part of it," he said.
Located in Hongqiao International Central Business District, Xujing Town is home to a number of international communities.
Nearly 15,000 expats from more than 120 countries and regions now make Xujing home. Multi-culturalism is taking root and prospering in the town.
The festival aims to further boost Sino-foreign cultural exchanges and showcase traditional Chinese culture to foreign friends.
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