By Wu Tie
Special to the Tsinghua News Center
The New Year party for students and teaching staff from abroad was staged on the evening of December 28 at the Auditorium after a New Year dinner. The 1,000-seat hall was packed with excited students and teachers.
Professor XIE Weihe, Vice-President of Tsinghua University, expressed appreciation for the contributions of all foreign teaching staff working at Tsinghua and wished all 2,000 foreign students and teaching staff a healthy and successful 2007.
A musical performance by a South Korean students’ band unveiled a series of splendid performances at the New Year Party. There were 23 performances in all presented by foreign students and teachers from 14 countries.
A French six-person group sang a folk song “Sanriano”, which expressed their complex feelings about leaving their own country as sailors to explore the outside world. Language teachers from the Department of Foreign Languages performed the Scottish folk song “Auld Lang Syne”. A rumba was performed by students from Russia and the Ukraine which ignited screams and whistles of approval from the audience. Eight students from Tanzania, Germany, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea presented a talk show on the theme of 2008 Olympics mascots, through which they delivered their good wishes for the success of the coming Olympics. Staff members from the Foreign Student Affairs Office and the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange performed a festive yangko dance.
Prize drawing and game sessions lent an atmosphere of excitement, surprise, and fun to the audience. The party came to a touching end with a choral performance of “Hand in Hand” sung by everyone attending the New Year party.
