Tying Knots, Eating Sweets, and Playing Go: HSE University Celebrates Chinese New Year
On February 18, 2026, a celebration of Chinese New Year was held in the central atrium of the Pokrovka building. The festive programme showcased the rich traditions of the holiday, including dance and violin performances, folk games, and a tea ceremony. The event was organised by HSE University's Chinese Culture Club and the Support and Career Centre for International Students and Alumni.
Chinese New Year, or chunjie, is a major holiday in Chinese culture that traditionally signifies the return of spring and the beginning of the Spring Festival. In China, celebrations last up to two weeks, until the traditional Lantern Festival in March. Associated with Chinese philosophy of new beginnings and the cyclicality of life, it is a holiday that bears a lot of symbolism in many parts of the world, especially in Chinese-speaking communities.
This year, it was celebrated at HSE University with a special ceremony and an entertainment programme open to both HSE students and other guests. The event began with an opening speech on the main stage, followed by a traditional dance with fans and ribbons, a reenactment of the origin of the holiday—a legend about a demonic creature called the nian—a song in Chinese, and a violin performance, all prepared by the Chinese students themselves. The atrium was decorated with symbolic red, and the performers wore traditional dresses.
In the opening speech for the festival, Elza Auman, coordinator from the Support and Career Centre for International Students and Alumni, highlighted the unity and family spirit inherent in the celebration, while Xu Wenjing, the coordinator from the Chinese Culture Club’s side, thanked the volunteers and participants, emphasising the importance of such events, especially during the Sino–Russian Year of Education. The period 2026–2027, recently designated to be the year that promotes exchange of educational opportunities between the two countries, comes immediately after the successful completion of the 2024–2025 Sino–Russian Year of Culture, marking growing cooperation and collaboration between China and Russia.
Xu Wenjing, fourth-year student of the Bachelor’s programme in Law and Chair of the Chinese Culture Club, shared that their work is mainly aimed at helping Chinese students with adaptation, paperwork, and instruction when they have just arrived in Russia. The New Year celebration, with the traditional performances demonstrating Chinese culture, was the first university-level event the club has hosted, but they plan to do more in the future. ‘There are plans to open a speaking club with the help of the Chinese language teachers in March,’ she says. ‘It’s important to have a place where everyone can make friends and talk to each other.’ She was thrilled that so many students came to share Chinese culture and traditions on this day.
Co-leader of the club and fourth-year student of the Bachelor’s programme ‘Applied Mathematics and Information Science,’ Tan Xipeng, helped with the organisation. He noted that the club is generally involved in all sorts of work, including aiding students with embassy services. He also shared some Chinese traditions for celebrating New Year, which include getting together, cooking a meal—especially dumplings, a key Spring Festival dish—and setting off fireworks. ‘Chinese New Year is the single most important holiday for Chinese people,’ he believes.
After the performances were over, participants were free to take part in a quest and attend a variety of workshops and games. Those who completed the quest received gifts. The games included the traditional Chinese board game go, as well as adaptations of activities like touhu, where players attempt to throw an arrow into a pot from a distance. The guests had an opportunity to learn about Chinese calligraphy, participate in a tea ceremony, and memorise a few Chinese words with beginner flash cards. They could also try their hand at the traditional handicraft of making Chinese knots. The knots, zhongguojie, usually red in colour, are made from a single cord and woven in different ways—they symbolise good fortune and prosperity, and are often used as a decorative element, especially on New Year.
Yu Xinhe, a volunteer and a Master’s student studying Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication, described her job at the event. She and her colleagues were responsible for the tea ceremony, where people could sample authentic tea and sweets, including tanghulu, a traditional Chinese candied treat of sugared fruit that proved very popular with the guests. She shared her joy at being able to participate in the event, especially since she is unable to return to China for the Spring Festival. With that in mind, she noted the exceptionally exciting festive atmosphere. ‘There are so many international friends with us who can enjoy this atmosphere—this makes me very glad,’ she says.
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