Expats Enjoy Spring Festival Fun in Jing'an

Fifteen expats enjoyed a specially designed Spring Festival citywalk in Jing'an District on Wednesday that blended traditional folk customs, Shanghai flair and international elements.

Participants immersed themselves in festive activities, from writing fu (福fortune) and ma (马 horse) in calligraphy to wearing hanfu (Han-style clothing). They learned to make Shanghai-style pork and vegetable wontons and enjoyed a reunion dinner of babaofan (eight-treasure rice).

They also visited Jing'an Global Connect to explore one-stop foreign-related services.

The walk concluded at Zhangyuan Garden, an iconic shikumen (stone-gated) landmark, where a spectacular light show inspired by Xu Beihong's famous horse paintings projected traditional Chinese art onto historic buildings using modern digital technology.

"My grandpa is from Shanghai, and I'm very excited to kind of get back to my roots a little bit," said Grace Schenkel, from the United States. "I am excited to make my own dumplings, and I can't wait to show the videos to him."

"I know Chinese characters have a particularly long history, and the opportunity to truly experience this kind of Chinese writing is rare," added Song Woosuk from South Korea.