On November 23, local time,two teachers and students of the Confucius Institute at Middle East Technical University participated in the "Imagining China" Participant Open Day at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Türkiye. Over 60 attendees, including past winners of the competition, parents, and representatives of guiding teachers, joined the event, which was also attended by Minister-Counselor Cong Song and Counselor Zhou Meifen from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Türkiye.

In his speech, Minister-Counselor Cong Song highly praised the significant importance of the "Imagining China" painting competition. He emphasized that the event has been held for eight consecutive years, providing a platform for Chinese and Turkish youth to communicate through the language of cultural arts. Cong stressed that winners, through participation and visits to China, have personally experienced authentic China and shared their experiences with their families and friends, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of China within Turkish society.

The event featured a variety of activities. Attendees enjoyed performances including kung fu tea, guzheng music, Chinese classical dance, and Sichuan opera face-changing, as well as a photo exhibition titled "Beautiful China" and "Central Axis." They also sampled delicious Chinese cuisine. The Confucius Institute set up several cultural experience booths, offering immersive cultural interactions, which became one of the highlights of the event. The booths included paper cutting, calligraphy, Chinese checkers, and tea art, which were loved by both students and parents. In the paper cutting section, students learned basic techniques from instructors and created unique artworks. At the calligraphy booth, participants traced the Chinese characters for "Türkiye" and "China," experiencing the artistic beauty of Chinese characters. The Chinese checkers booth attracted numerous students, who enjoyed playing the game and gaining a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese board games. At the tea art booth, volunteer students demonstrated Chinese tea ceremonies and invited attendees to taste West Lake Longjing tea. The Confucius Institute also organized interactive activities like shuttlecock kicking and "handkerchief spinning," which drew many participants eager to take photos.

On the day of the event, the Confucius Institute's cultural booths became one of the most popular areas. During the experience, students not only learned new skills but also gained a deeper understanding of the richness and charm of Chinese culture. Many students expressed that these activities sparked their interest in the Chinese language and culture and further strengthened their enthusiasm to learn more about China.

The Confucius Institute will continue to leverage its strengths by organizing a variety of cultural experience activities to build bridges for cultural exchange between China and Türkiye. In the future, we look forward to collaborating with more organizations to expand the scope of China-Türkiye cultural exchange, deepen the friendship between the peoples of China and Türkiye, and contribute new forces to the development of China-Türkiye relations.