As the New Year was approaching, on the morning of December 28th, 2017, international students of the University and the Office of No. 315 Fleet of the Bus Group organized a small gathering to make dumplings at the Bus Fleet canteen and experience traditional Chinese culture. International students attending the event included DEMBELE BOUBACAR DEMBA of Mali, Abdul from Niger, CHERVONENKO YELYZAVETAfrom Ukraine and YUSUPOVA AZIZA from Tajikistan.
The staff prepared dumpling wrappers as well as beef and other stuffing materials to accommodate the eating habits of international students. In teaching them, the staff explained while demonstrating: “This is a dumpling, a food we often make together during reunions! Its shape resembles the ancient Chinese gold ingot, hence symbolizing wealth.”
Although it was the first time for the students to make dumplings, with the kind help from the staff, they all managed to master the skills. Abdul from Niger said that although the wrappers he rolled did not look very nice, he was very happy to see the fruits of his own work. YUSUPOVA AZIZA from Tajikistan found that rolling wrappers was similar to the way people made bread back at his home. She rolled a lot of dumpling wrappers in just a while.
More and more dumplings were made under the concerted efforts of the students. They were eager to try taste their own fruits of work. Finally, the hot dumplings were served on the table, and the students all tasted the dumplings that were made by themselves. The students were impressed by both the deliciousness of the dumplings and the warmth of the group. After the dumpling meal, many students said they wanted to pack their hand-made dumplings and take them back to their dormitories, to share the joy with other international students. They also hoped that there would be more of such experiences in the future!
Through this activity, the international students have not only learned how to make dumplings and the history behind the food, but also deepened friendship with each other and enhanced their understanding of the Chinese traditional culture.
