Zong Wa (L), Minister-Counselor for education of the Chinese Embassy in Australia, hands over the Spring Festival kits to a Chinese student representative in Canberra, Australia, Jan.27, 2021. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
"Although I am not able to go back home for the festival, I felt the care and support of our mother country for us," said Zhang Jiayuan, a Chinese student who received the Spring Festival kits from the Chinese Embassy in Australia.
CANBERRA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Containing disinfectant wipes, tea, and various Chinese handicrafts, some Spring Festival kits were given to Chinese students by the Chinese Embassy in Australia on Wednesday.
"Although I am not able to go back home for the festival, I felt the care and support of our mother country for us," said Zhang Jiayuan, a student with the Australian National University.
Like Zhang, several student representatives received the kits from the embassy, which they will distribute to their Chinese school mates.
Wang Xiaoyong, father of an eleventh-grader, told Xinhua that he was happy to receive the kit because "it makes me feel the atmosphere of Spring Festival," and "we miss home at this time."
Photo taken on Jan.27, 2021 shows the Spring Festival kits in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua).
Xia Qichuan, 16, who has been in Canberra for nearly two years, is unable to go home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The teenager last year celebrated the Spring Festival at home in east China's Anhui Province.
He said he was excited to know about the kits distributed by the embassy. "This year we will gather together with some other Chinese to make dumplings for the holiday," he said.
The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is the most important festival for Chinese people, and also an important occasion for family reunion.
Photo taken on Jan.27, 2021 shows the Spring Festival kits in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua).
"We will make a feast with our friends and classmates for the eve of the Chinese New Year," he said. "I will also video-chat with my parents to let them know that I am safe here," said Zhang Jiayuan from Shanghai.
Not only students received the kits. Miao Changxia, counsellor of consular affairs, also handed Spring Festival kits to representatives of Chinese people in Canberra. The embassy will also send some kits to the Northern Territory.
"Inside the kits, we not only give them some personal protective stuff against the pandemic but also would like to convey our festive greetings with small gifts," the counsellor said. "It is our wish that in the year 2021, we could all stay healthy." ■
