On February 21, 2026, Xu Meng and Qiu Shuzhen, Chinese language teachers from the Confucius Institute of Artois, were invited to Lens to participate in a Chinese New Year themed cultural day for the Year of the Horse. This event was initiated by the local Velaris Association and jointly organized by the Lens City Government and the Lens Citizens' Initiative Project Management Association (Association Gestionnaire our des projets d’initiative cityouenne de Lens, abbreviated AGPIC). The two Confucius Institute teachers participated in the full-day event, which lasted seven and a half hours, with approximately 600 citizens in attendance.
Mr. Xu Meng was invited to demonstrate Tai Chi on the central stage for the entire audience. Mr. Xu performed the Chen-style Tai Chi Essentials Eighteen Forms twice, at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, accompanied by the background music "Wild Geese," both times receiving enthusiastic applause. After the performances, the host invited interested audience members to follow Mr. Xu to a designated area for a hands-on Tai Chi experience. Mr. Xu first gave them a brief introduction and explanation of the relevant theoretical knowledge of Tai Chi, as well as its characteristics and key points. After leading them through warm-up exercises, he taught them some basic Tai Chi movements and the first few sections. After each experience session, Mr. Xu also interacted with the participants, answering their questions. The stage performances and offline experiences successfully attracted the interest of some local residents, who expressed their desire to participate in Tai Chi courses at the University of Artois.
Ms. Qiu Shuzhen was in charge of two experiential activities: Chinese tea ceremony and ink blowing painting. With the assistance of Julie Desremaux, a graduate of the Department of Sinology at the University of Artois, a total of four tea ceremonies and three ink blowing painting workshops were held. The tea ceremonies began with an introduction to the six major categories of Chinese tea, interspersed with interactive tea culture Q&A, and followed five steps to appreciate the tea: "appreciating the dry tea, smelling the aroma, observing the color, tasting the tea, and appreciating the tea leaves after brewing." The tea ceremonies were mostly attended by adults, while the ink blowing paintings were more attractive to children. Ms. Qiu prepared detailed steps in advance, and the children followed them to create their ink blowing paintings. During the process, Ms. Qiu and Julie introduced the cultural connotations of plum blossoms to the children. Finally, the children stamped their paintings with seals that read "Peace" or "Among the Grass and Trees." To celebrate the Chinese New Year, Ms. Qiu gave all participants in the tea ceremonies and ink blowing paintings a panda bookmark with the character "福" (fortune) written on it, and taught them to greet each other in Chinese, with "新年好" (Wish you a great New Year) and "新年快乐" (Happy New Year) echoing throughout the hall. At the end of the event, participants received little special gifts and had a satisfying experience, leaving with high spirits.
This cultural day event themed around Chinese New Year in Lens, allowed local residents to experience and learn about Chinese New Year customs and related culture through tangible cultural activities, marking another contact and interaction with the local community.