CHINESE FESTIVALS
Module
Hong Kong and its Neighbours
Unit
Festivals
Programme Outline
This is a documentary drama that explores the traditions, customs and rituals behind two Chinese festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival.
Cannie, a T.V. reporter who takes great pride in her Chinese heritage, produces a programme that records the living heritage of the festivals. While researching on the programme, she meets her American friend, Simon, who has come to explore Hong Kong, a city where traditional Chinese festivals are celebrated spectacularly and expensively, Simon accompanies Cannie recording and editing the programme which has opened his eyes to the uproarious and hilarious ways in which Chinese festivals are celebrated, the romanticism associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival, the crowds and the heat of the Dragon Boat Festival, the special food of these two festivals and all their unique customs are all captured in this programme.
There are also interviews with foreigners and many overseas Chinese who share with the audience their feelings towards Chinese festivals, Chinese festivals serve an important function of bringing all Chinese together and reminding us of our roots and origin.
Key Stage Targets
To develop and ever-improving capability to use English
- to converse about feelings, interests, ideas and experiences (I.D.b)
- to interpret and use given information through processes or activities such as describing, comparing, explaining, predicting, drawing conclusions; and to follow instructions (K.D.b)
- to give expression to one’s experience through activities such as providing simple oral and written accounts of events and one’s reactions to them (E.D.d)
Communicative Functions
1. Make simple comparisons of various kinds
Examples:
The Mid-Autumn Festival is perhaps the most romantic Chinese festival.
The Moon is roundest, purest and brightest that night.
Plastic lanterns have become more and more popular nowadays.
I think it’s more fun lighting up a paper lantern than playing with a plastic one.
2. Give a simple account of things that have happened and things that people did in the past
Examples:
Qu-yuan threw himself into a river to show how sad he was when the King didn’t listen to his advice. The fishermen loved him so much that they threw rice into the sea. People also paddled in their boats to scare away the fish.
I did take part in the Dragon Boat races in New York two years ago. We practised very hard and remember John, the prefect in our class, he fell into the river. It was really fun.
Language Skills
Listening
- listen for specific information
- identify the main ideas of a new topic
- identify details that support a main idea
Speaking
- convey meaning clearly and coherently by using appropriate intonation and stress, and vary volume, tone of voice and speed to convey intended meanings and feelings
- open an interaction by eliciting a response by asking questions or providing information on a topic
Reading
- recognise the presentation of ideas through headings and paragraphing
- skim a text to obtain a general impression and the main ideas
- identify details that support a main idea
Writing
- develop written texts by using appropriate format, conventions and language features when writing non-narrative texts
Pre-viewing Activities
1. Motivate the class by asking pupils which Chinese festivals they like best. Ask them to explain why they like that particular Chinese festivals, what they eat and how they celebrate that Chinese festival.
2. Explain to the class that they are going to watch two Chinese festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival in the programme. Ask them about the origin of these two festivals.
While-viewing Activities
Make sure that pupils have the COPYMASTER 1 and pencils on their desks before viewing. They need to complete Part I which is an information sheet about the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival. Go over the questions with the class first and ask them to guess the answers before watching the programme.
Answer:
1) the fifteenth day of the eighth month
2) Moon Lady
3) Mooncakes
4) round
5) Moon
6) Rice dumplings
7) Rice
8) Green
9) Lanterns
10) Mooncakes
11) Moon
12) Rice dumplings
13) Dragon boat races
Post-viewing Activities
1) Pupils complete Part II of the COPYMASTER 2.Explain to the class that they have to find out which Chinese festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival or the Dragon Boat Festival is more popular. Ask them to read over Jacky’s answers carefully and write out the question of each answer. Revise with pupils how to ask “Yes/no” and “Wh-“questions.
Answers:
1) What do you like to eat, mooncakes or rice dumplings?
2) Do you know what mooncakes are made of?
3) What do you do on Mid-Autumn Festival?
4) Do you like the Dragon Boat Festival?
5) Why don’t you like the Dragon Boat Festival?
2) After pupils have completed Part II, they form into groups of four or five and ask their group members the questions in Part II. Pupils gather the answers to the questions and find out which festivals is more popular.
Follow-up Activity
Pupils can conduct a project on their favourite Chinese festival and collect information about the customs, rituals and origin of that particular festival.
COPYMASTER 1
Chinese Festivals
Part I
A Project On Chinese Festivals
You are Tommy, doing a project on Chinese Festivals. Your teacher has given you a video on Chinese Festivals and asked you to find out the answers to the following questions from the video.
While you are watching the video, you answer the following questions.
Chinese Festivals
Name of the festival / Mid-Autumn Festival / Dragon Boat FestivalWhen is it celebrated? / 1)______/ The fifth day of the fifth moon.
Why is it celebrated? / To remember the 2)______who lives on the moon. / To remember a Chinese poet named Qu-yuan
What is the special food of this festival? / 4) ______which are 5)______in shape and look like the 6)______. / 7)______which are made of 8)______, 9)______beans and egg yolk.
How do people celebrate this festival? / People play with 10)______, eat 11)______and watch the 12)______. / People eat 13)______and watch the 14)______along the rivers.
COPYMASTER 2
Chinese Festivals
Part II
Which Chinese Festival do you like?
In your project, you need to find out which Chinese Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival or the Dragon Boat Festival is more popular. You ask your classmate, Jacky, about which festival he likes.
Read Jacky’s answer again and write out your questions.
Tommy: Hello, Jacky, I’m working a project on Chinese festivals. Can you spare a few minutes to answer my questions?
Jacky: Certainly.
Tommy: Thank you. What 1) , mooncakes or rice dumplings?
Jacky: I like to eat mooncakes better.
Tommy: Do you know 2) ?
Jacky: I think mooncakes are made of egg yolks.
Tommy: What’s 3) ?
Jacky: I go to the park to play with lanterns and watch the moon with my cousins.
Tommy: 4) ?
Jacky: I don’t like the Dragon Boat Festival.
Tommy: Why 5) ?
Jacky: It’s very hot in June and I don’t like the dragon boat races.
Tommy: Thank you for answering my questions.
Jacky: You’re welcome.
Now, ask four of your classmates the same questions and find out which festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival or the Dragon Boat Festival is more popular.
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