On March 27, the College of International Education at Shanghai University held a Chinese Corner event on the Baoshan campus. The theme was "The Charm of Chinese Flowers."

The session opened with a clip from Ode to the Flower Goddess, a performance from the 2026 Spring Festival Gala. From there, students stepped into the world of Chinese flower culture. They heard the stories of the Twelve Flower Goddesses. They learned what different flowers mean in China. The plum blossom stands for resilience. The lotus speaks of purity. The chrysanthemum carries a quiet dignity. After that came a guessing game with flower symbolism, followed by a hands-on workshop where everyone made their own floral cards. Chinese and international students sat together, talked, wrote, and laughed. Somewhere between the scent of flowers and the scratch of ink on paper, language started to feel less like study and more like something that just happens when people connect.

The event began with Zeng Huinan showing a clip from the Spring Festival Gala piece Ode to the Flower Goddess. AI stage effects brought the four seasons to life through blooming flowers, and the room leaned in. Then Zeng walked everyone through the meanings behind a few key flowers. Plum blossom. Lotus. Chrysanthemum. She told the story of Lin Bu, an ancient poet who loved plum blossoms so much he called them his wife. What sounded abstract at first suddenly felt real.

Then students shared what flowers mean in their own cultures. An Egyptian student talked about the lotus. In Egyptian mythology, it stands for protection and peace. A Hungarian student spoke about the chrysanthemum. Back home, it means loyalty and strength—a flower you give to show real respect. The Chinese students nodded. That was close to what the chrysanthemum means here too.

Same flower. Different country. The meaning shifts, but something still connects. That's what the whole room felt.

Then someone brought up a line about the osmanthus flower. An ancient poet once wrote that it doesn't need bright colors to be beautiful. Its fragrance alone makes it first among flowers.

Students jumped in with their own takes. Some said that's how life works now. Real staying power comes from what's inside. They thought about their professors. Quiet people. No show. No noise. Just deep knowledge and steady character. That's what earns respect over time.

Others said looks matter too. A first impression opens the door. But what keeps people coming back is what's underneath. The two work together. Still, they all agreed on one thing. The scent, the inner part, is what lingers longest.

Then someone asked: if you had to pick one flower to stand for your ideal life, what would it be? Answers came from all over the room.

One student chose the plum blossom. It blooms in the cold. That's the kind of grit they wanted. Learning a new language is hard. Living far from home is harder. They hoped to carry that same quiet toughness through it all.

Another picked the lotus. It grows from mud but comes out clean. That mattered to them. Staying true to who you are, no matter where you land.

Someone else said the chrysanthemum. It blooms late and doesn't compete. That felt right to them. A simple life. A calm mind. No rush.

Each answer was different. But behind every choice was the same thing. A way of looking at life. And suddenly, flowers weren't just flowers anymore. They were little mirrors of how people want to live.

Then Yang Xiaojia stepped in for a short talk on flower etiquette. Not the poetic kind. The practical kind. What to give and when. Pomegranate blossoms, she explained, are for newlyweds. They carry wishes for a full and happy home. Osmanthus is for students. It says, "May your hard work bloom." International students listened closely. This wasn't just vocabulary. This was something they could actually use. A real way to say something kind in Chinese and mean it. Language that finally felt alive.

The event closed with a craft session. Everyone made dried flower bookmarks. Blank cards. Pressed petals. Glue. As they worked, the flowers they had just learned about showed up in their choices. Plum blossom. Lotus. Osmanthus. Each bookmark carried a small piece of the afternoon with it.

Students worked side by side, talking as they arranged their flowers, pausing now and then to ask for a word or offer one. The room filled with quiet questions and easy laughter. Nobody was studying, but everyone was learning.

The bookmarks turned out beautiful, each one different, each one a small piece of the afternoon pressed flat and saved. More than crafts, they were reminders of flowers and conversations, of a few hours when language stopped feeling like work and started feeling like something you make with your hands.

Shanghai University's Chinese Corner has always been about two things: language and connection. Event after event, it gives international students a place to learn Chinese not from a textbook but from the culture itself.

The College of International Education plans to keep building that bridge. More themed gatherings. More hands-on workshops. More chances for students from different countries to sit together and learn from each other. That's where real understanding grows.

Source: Shanghai University