STORY: New Zealanders mark Chinese Immersion Day
DATELINE: Sept. 24, 2023
LENGTH: 0:01:46
LOCATION: CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the donation ceremony and the books
2. various of performances and activities

STORYLINE:

The Chinese Immersion Day was marked in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Sunday, with the local library receiving donations of Chinese books.

The Chinese Consulate General in Christchurch gave children's books in Chinese and books about traditional Chinese culture to the central city library, as part of the nationwide celebration of the New Zealand Chinese Language Week which ended on Sunday.

Consul General He Ying told the donation ceremony that the annual book donation started more than four years ago, and these books are widely welcomed by the Chinese community and Kiwis.

The donated books have been wonderful gifts for the community to enjoy, and the city libraries need diverse language books as part of a wide range of books offered, said a statement from the library.

On Chinese Immersion Day, an extravaganza of traditional Chinese music and Lion Dance was staged, followed by various Chinese language and culture activities, such as calligraphy, paper cutting, Chinese knots making, Chinese painting, tea art, fun language workshops and games.

Chinese Language Week is a Kiwi-driven initiative launched in 2014 after the Maori Language Week and the Pacific Language Week.
   
Its annual celebrations boast language learning and cultural events, which are held nationwide to bridge the cultural and linguistic knowledge gap between China and New Zealand, delivering fun and practical initiatives that assist Kiwis in learning Chinese.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Christchurch, New Zealand.
(XHTV)