UNS—The Confucius Institute of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival 2025 at the UNS China Center in the UNS Library Building on Wednesday (11/6/2025). This event commemorated a long-standing Chinese cultural tradition while reinforcing the partnership between UNS and its educational partners in China. The festival served as a valuable moment to introduce Chinese cultural values to the Indonesian public, particularly the academic community at UNS.
The event was attended by the Director of the Directorate of Planning, Cooperation, Internationalization, and Reputation of UNS, Ibrahim Fatwa Wijaya, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D.; the Head of the UNS Chinese Language Center, Prof. Dr. Ir. Ahmad Yunus, M.S.; and several other guests.
Remarks from Prof. Yunus
In his opening remarks, Prof. Dr. Ir. Ahmad Yunus, M.S., emphasized the significance of the Dragon Boat Festival 2025 celebration. He stated that the event is a concrete example of the Confucius Institute’s commitment to strengthening cultural relations between China and Indonesia. This commitment is also reflected in various programs involving students and academics. He also explained that the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet and loyal minister from the ancient state of Chu, now part of Hubei Province.
“This event is evidence that the blending of Chinese and Indonesian cultures continues to flourish, especially through people-to-people exchanges conducted by the Confucius Institute involving students and academics from various backgrounds,” said Prof. Yunus.
Remarks from Ibrahim
Following Prof. Yunus’s remarks, the Director of the Directorate of Planning, Cooperation, Internationalization, and Reputation of UNS, Ibrahim Fatwa Wijaya, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D., also shared his thoughts. He deeply appreciated the Chinese Language Center for organizing this year’s Dragon Boat Festival. He noted that the event was a celebration and a meaningful effort to preserve cultural values and strengthen international relationships.
“The annual Dragon Boat Festival also serves as a special occasion to preserve culinary heritage, such as bakcang, as well as various forms of traditional Chinese art,” said Ibrahim.
Ibrahim further expressed his hope that this event would help strengthen social bonds among the UNS academicians. “May today’s event serve as a means of fostering connection and togetherness. Happy Dragon Boat Festival, and enjoy the bakcang,” he said, drawing warm applause from the audience.
Interactive Session with the Attendees
Following the speeches, the event continued with a group photo session featuring guests and UNS officials. The atmosphere grew even more cordial as everyone joined to enjoy bakcang, a traditional Chinese rice dumpling and a symbolic dish of the Dragon Boat Festival. This shared meal deepened interpersonal connections and introduced the richness of Chinese culinary culture to the UNS community.
The event concluded with an interactive session where participants made xiangnang (small aromatherapy sachets filled with herbal plants traditionally worn or placed at home to repel ants and mosquitoes). In addition, attendees also learned how to make handcrafted woven items and paper origami art. Through these hands-on activities, participanwts could celebrate the festival ceremonially and engage with Chinese traditions educationally and enjoyably. Humas UNS
