On June 11, Lucton, together with the Welsh Governmentand the Chevening Scholarship Project Team of the British Consulate-General in Chongqing,held the British Culture and Sports Day at Lucton School Chongqing, Tieshanping.More than 20 groups of families joined the event. Some of the participants livedand worked in Wales for many years, some had received Chevening scholarships tostudy in the UK, and some are staff working in the consulate. There were no emptyseats, and a splendid British culture and British campus experience began.
The event started at 14:30. Ms. Ann Pan, the Executive Governor of LuctonSchool Chongqing, first extended a warm welcome to the participants and showed thelife at Lucton School with videos. Mr. Steven Yang, Chairman of Lucton SchoolChongqing, focused on sharing his journey of studying in the UK since he was a teenager,as well as his determination to bring British education to China. He also introducedthe history, curriculum design, and characteristics of Lucton School.
Mr. Samuel Tindall, the consul of the British Consulate-General in Chongqingwho is in charge of the British Chevening Scholarship Programme (Southwest Region),expressed his praise for the environment of the Lucton School Chongqing campus andhis expectations and blessings for the event.At the same time, he introduced theUK Chevening Scholarship. Chevening is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and DevelopmentOffice (FCDO) and partner organisations, Chevening offers two types of award - CheveningScholarships and Chevening Fellowships. Chevening offers a unique opportunity forfuture leaders, influencers, and decision-makers from all over the world to developprofessionally and academically, network extensively, experience UK culture, andbuild lasting positive relationships with the UK.
Finally, Ms. Qingyun Ma, chief representative of the Welsh Government of theBritish Consulate-General in Chongqing, shared her in-depth understanding of Welshculture and her knowledge of the annual Hay Festival, which raised everyone's enthusiasmfor the Welsh literature appreciation session.
The English teacher from Lucton School Chongqing, who is from Wales, then ledthe audience into the Welsh literature realm. She introduced three Welsh writers:Roald Dahl, poet Dylan Thomas, and Dafydd ap Gwilym from the 14th century. The teachertold the legends of the Welsh bards and their prophecies that have been passed downto the present day. The audience also followed the teacher's pace to the small townof Hay and learned about the literary event attended by 250,000 people every year.In the end, the teacher focused on teaching Roald Dahl's legendary life and appreciatinghis work Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and ended by reading out famous excerpts.
At this time, the young audience could not contain their excitement, and theycame to the stage to share the Welsh works they had read together with their ownunique insights. During the Q&A session, the audience answered the questionsenthusiastically and won the original English edition books specially provided bythe consulate.
Before the highly anticipated team sports event, all participants joined theteams of four Houses of Lucton: Lions for courage, Fox for wisdom, Star for integrity,and Knights for loyalty. After the team captains and safety officers were determined,the competition officially began. The game was held in the teaching block and lasted90 minutes. In the competition, we saw academic leaders who were familiar with Britishhistory, dart masters who played without missing a shot, and dancers who were fullof vigour. We also witnessed the synergetic cooperation of each team to completeone highly demanding challenge after another.
As the event came to an end, everyone went to the corridor and balcony on thesecond floor of the teaching block. A sumptuous BBQ meal was ready. We were alsohonoured to have Mr. Stephen Ellison, the British Consul General in Chongqing, atthe campus dinner. Mr. Ellison communicated with Mr. Steven Yang about today's activitiesand the development of Lucton School Chongqing and shared the British culture withthe children at the same table. As the sun went down, the British Culture and SportsDay ended with joy and laughter.
