The Durban University of Technology Confucius Institute in collaboration with the Consulate General of China in Durban, the South African KwaZulu-Natal Chinese Community and the Police Cooperation Centre and the South African KwaZulu-Natal Chinese community, co-hosted the annual Chinese Moon Festival at a gala event at the Sibaya iZulu theatre on Monday, 2 October 2017.
The moon festival was attended by the Consulate General of PR China in Durban, Mr Wang Jianzhou, the Deputy Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Councillor Fawzia Peer alongside with the municipality’s International Relations and Governance Director, Mr Apelgren, the Vice- Chancellor and Principal of DUT, Professor Thandwa Mthembu as well as the Director of the South African KwaZulu- Natal Chinese Community and Police Cooperation Centre, Mr Keyi Chen and the Co- Dean of the DUT CI, Mr Frank Lin Wu, to name but a few.
The Chinese Moon Festival, is the second most important festival in China. Also known as the Zhongqiu Festival, the official name in the Chinese pinyin system, is an official harvest festival celebrated by the Chinese since the beginning of their historical past. The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, during a full moon, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar, within 15 days to the autumnal equinox. The government of the People’s Republic of China listed the festival as an ‘intangible cultural heritage’ in 2006 and a public holiday in 2008. It is also named Reunion Festival because traditionally it is also a day for family members to travel from wherever they are to get together for a family reunion.
Addressing guests at the gala event, Mr Wang Jianzhou, said the festival represented the unity and integrity of the Chinese families and Chinese nation. “In Durban, the Chinese Moon festival has been an annual event that is not only for the Chinese community but the happiness and joy that comes with the Chinese Moon Festival is also widely shared and celebrated widely by all people in Durban regardless of their race, colour and cultural backgrounds. Our
Moon Festival helps bring people together and promote social harmony and understanding between different ethnic groups in Durban and that is why we value it so much each year. We also celebrated the Chinese National and Moon festival together, so it’s also a time to celebrate the friendship and cohesion in China and South Africa,” he said.
Further adding to his sentiments, Councillor Peer reiterated the importance of mandarin, saying that with the rich heritage and official language of China, the language has become increasingly useful in the coming years. Also, China’s explosive growth had made mandarin a sought-after spoken language skill.
Professor Thandwa Mthembu, spoke of the significance of family values and heritage. “We are gathered to celebrate the second largest and one of the richest festivals in the Chinese calendar, the Chinese Moon Festival. I want to wish everyone a happy mid-autumn festival which is Zhōngqiū kuàilè in mandarin. While the Chinese Moon Festival reminds everyone of the importance of family as the basic institution of society; South Africans commemorate South African heritage day or month to remind ourselves of the heritage of identity and perhaps our collective journey thus far as a young nation. What is common between the two nations is that on the one hand the family unit is or should be an integral part of a unity and a nation. On the other hand, a nations’ identity and character are shaped by how each nation and family and how each nation raises its children,” he said.
He also spoke of the Confucius Institute at DUT, as a young dynamic, robust University in South Africa, and that DUT enjoys a great partnership with many Chinese universities, among which is the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in Fuzhou, China. He added that with FAFU, DUT had established the Confucius Institute on 26 March 2013, under the co-witness of the visiting Chinese President Mr Xi Jinping and South African President Mr Jacob Zuma, Confucius Institute(CI) during the China President’s first diplomatic visit after his inauguration. And in February, 2014, it formally started its functioning at DUT.
Furthermore, Prof Mthembu spoke of how DUT CI promotes cooperation and programmes between DUT and FAFU; facilitating educational, cultural and academic exchanges between South Africa and China universities, Durban and Fuzhou in China, and KwaZulu-Natal and China Fujian Province. “Within three years it has become one of the most successful Confucius Institutes in the African continent with plenty of achievements. It offers different mandarin courses for the DUT community, middle and primary school students, and local community, including all levels of mandarin courses and Chinese culture courses. All these programmes have made the DUT CI an epicentre of cultural exchange and development between our two nations,” he said.
Giving the vote of thanks, Co-Dean of the Confucius Institute at DUT- Mr Frank Lin Wu, said he appreciated everyone who had made the effort to be part of the Chinese Moon Festival and thanked all the sponsors for their generous prizes.
The local Durban’s multi-cultural and multi-lingual communities were also ecstatic and thoroughly enjoyed the cultural offerings as well as the wonderful prizes of microwaves, mugs, televisions, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, computers, air tickets to China and diamond giveaways, to name a few, which added to the excitement of the night and the festival itself.
Pictured: The performers at the Chinese Moon Festival.
Waheeda Peters
