On October 26, 2026, the Confucius Institute at Middle East Technical University hosted a movie night, screening Nobody for students. The event allowed participants to experience the charm of Chinese animation and appreciate a heartwarming story.
Before the screening, our teacher Xie Mingming introduced background information on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West to help students better follow the plot. Xie then walked the students through the main characters. Breaking away from the heroic perspective of traditional Journey to the West adaptations, the animation centres on ordinary demons including Piggy Demon, Toad Demon, Ape Demon and Weasel Demon. Though unremarkable in skills and often confused or fearful, these characters remain kind-hearted, support one another, and strive along their own paths of growth. During the screening, students watched attentively and were fully absorbed in the story, genuinely connecting with the characters’ joys, sorrows and transformations.
Once the film ended, a fun quiz session began. Xie prepared questions about the plot and personalities of the characters. Students thought carefully and raised their hands enthusiastically to answer. Through this interaction, they reviewed the film and deepened their understanding of its characters and storyline. In the sharing segment, students freely exchanged their thoughts and impressions of the movie. Drawing on the film’s English title Nobody, Xie elaborated on its core message: even ordinary individuals possess their own unique value and radiance. To further enrich the cultural experience, Xie showed a short video about the ancient buildings of Shanxi featured in the animation, presenting the distinctive beauty of traditional Chinese architecture. At the close of the event, our teacher recommended a selection of high-quality Chinese animated works and encouraged students to continue exploring Chinese culture and stories through excellent animations.
Held in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, the event created an additional cultural opportunity for students. It allowed participants to engage with Chinese animation, traditional stories and ancient architectural culture, and further deepened their understanding of and interest in Chinese culture.