Spotlight – The Year of the Ox

Today, Friday 12 February, is Chinese New Year’s Eve; an event that is celebrated by millions of people in China and abroad. Tied to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, the festivity is celebrated for 16 days, from the Chinese New Year’s Eve, to the Lantern Festival. It is the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar, and was traditionally a time to honour the household and heavenly deities, as well as ancestors. It was also a time to bring family together for feasting, and to welcome people with the traditional greeting “gongxi facai” (恭喜发财).

The Chinese New Year traditionally starts with a big cleaning of the house, as it is a way of clearing out the old by sweeping away the dust. Immediately before New Year’s Eve, people usually go on a big shopping spree, spending generously before the festivities. Houses are decorated with red lanterns, red couplets, paper cut-outs and New Year's paintings. Family reunion dinners and offerings to ancestors are made before giving presents in red envelopes, staying up late, watching the New Year celebrations and listening to the New Year’s Bell. This year is the year of the Ox (牛) that occurs every 12 years in the Chinese zodiac calendar. In the astrology connected to the calendar, the year of the Ox signifies career advancement, success in business, prosperity, and wellness for all 12 zodiac signs.

At TISB students have the opportunity to study Mandarin Chinese in Middle and Senior School, as part of the Modern Foreign Language (MFL) programme. The Chinese language is important as China as a country has great political and economic influence. In the private sector the language has become more common, as more companies have moved elements of their business to China, or have entered partnerships with Chinese companies. “Chinese is the most spoken language in the world, and China is becoming an economic superpower – so it is really worth learning”, says Mr. Reji, TISB’s Mandarin teacher for Grades 6 to 12. Grade 12 student, Yashvasin, who loves a challenge, says: “I mainly took Chinese because of the opportunities that it might open up; at least in Indo-China relationships, and in the future if I ever want to start my own company. Since China is a resourceful country, maybe knowing the language will be helpful”.

However, studying Chinese is not only about learning the language. It is also about developing one’s meta-cognitive skills and student profile. “It is important that students make their profile stand out from others. It is not only about learning the language, but it is also about learning the skills associated with acquiring a new language”, says Dr Caroline, who encourages more students to take up Mandarin Chinese. Yashvasin agrees that learning the structure of Chinese might help one in other ways: “For example, in Chinese you have to learn the ‘pinyin’, which has English letters, so that you can type Chinese on a keyboard; and then you have the characters. So it is sort of like learning two languages at the same time. You get used to take in that information in a more efficient way, so, when you take Chinese you acquire these skills that you didn’t really know you would need later”.

Moreover, it is important to speak different languages, as it has a great impact on bringing people together. “If you speak to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. But if you speak to him in his mother tongue, that goes to his heart”, says Mr Reji, quoting Nelson Mandela. Mr Reji started learning Chinese because he loves art and music. “There is art in Chinese. In each character, you can find a picture”, explains Mr Reji and shows the Chinese characters for ‘mountain’ and ‘fire’ – that both resemble what they symbolise, and together mean volcano (‘fire-mountain’). Furthermore, Chinese is a tonal language, with notes and melodies that move up and down in pitch. “For me it is like listening to music when they speak”, says Mr Reji, who has planned an online event on Friday 12 February to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and to inform students about learning the language and its advantages.

Follow TISB on YouTube and other social media channels, and stay tuned for the Chinese New Year event. Until then, Happy Chinese New Year!