On March 21, 2026, Xu Meng, a Chinese teacher from the Confucius Institute of Artois, was invited to participate in the annual Open Day held at Lycée Pierre de Coubertin in Calais. The three-hour event attracted more than 100 students and their parents.
From 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Mr. Xu gave several Tai Chi demonstrations. At the beginning of the activity, he presented a series of basic Tai Chi movements, which quickly drew the attention of students and parents and aroused their curiosity. He then invited students to take part in movement practice while teaching them how to pronounce Chinese numbers such as “one, two, three, four” in Chinese, encouraging them to experience the rhythm of the language through coordinated movement.
In addition, Mr. Xu organized an ink-blowing painting workshop, guiding students step by step through the creative process. During the activity, he also introduced related language and cultural knowledge, including classical Chinese poetry about plum blossoms and the artistic characteristics of traditional Chinese ink painting. By the end of the workshop, students had each completed a unique ink-blowing plum blossom painting and left with great enthusiasm.
Students and parents attending the Open Day all expressed strong appreciation for the cultural activities. The rich and engaging program not only stimulated local middle school graduates’ interest in the Chinese language and culture, but also contributed positively to the enrollment of the school’ s Chinese language program.