Little New Year (Chinese Xiaonian), usually the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, falls on February 4, 2021. As the old Chinese saying goes, the Spring Festival is right around the corner after Little New Year. With the prevention and control of Covid-19 in a well-planned way, every place was gradually bathed with strong Spring Festival atmosphere. In the morning, Rafael Arroyo Sualdea, a Spanish at JISU, received a gift package, including Spring Festival couplets, Kitchen candies, paper-cuttings, dumpling vouchers, supplies for epidemic prevention and disinfection as well as a 2021 elaborate desk calendar. Rafael said happily, “The gift is so heartwarming, making me feel at home during Chinese Spring Festival.”
Foreign teachers Rafael (right) and Kamala (left) opening Little New Year gift packages
Other foreign teachers from Russia, Germany, Portugal, Thailand and other countries also received the gift package. They said it was quite a pleasure to celebrate Chinese Spring Festival at JISU, and also felt relieved at what the school had done in response to the epidemic. Kamala Sumalee, a foreign teacher from Thailand said, “In order to ensure safety during the epidemic, JISU has implemented closed-off management, which reduced the risk of infection. They were very responsible and made efforts to ensure our health and safety. In addition, we arranged special cars for us to buy necessities every week at regular intervals. It’s very thoughtful. During the holiday, many Chinese teachers have devoted their time to epidemic prevention and control. We are thankful we are here in China! I hope we can pull through difficulties together and greet the arrival of the new semester!”
Foreign teachers showing the Spring Festival couplets to extend New Year wishes
“During the winter vacation this year, there are six foreign teachers staying in the school for a variety of reasons,” Song Dandan remarked, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Exchange and Cooperation. “The focus of our job is to make sure the foreign teachers can have a happy and healthy holiday here. For this purpose, we prepared health kits, Little New Year packages and reunion dinner for them in the hope that they can also feel the luck and joy Chinese New Year will bring to them, and also receive good fortune on the campus.”
Foreign teachers hanging paper-cuts to window
Foreign teachers pasting the Spring Festival couplets and the Chinese character “Fu”
It is reported that multiple departments of JISU were mobilized to take coordinated actions in accordance with the unified deployment of the leading group for epidemic prevention and control. Firstly, strengthening health monitoring for teachers on campus. The policy of “one person, one record” was implemented; besides, health and travel documents for each teacher were created. Policies of “daily report” and “zero report” were conducted to ensure that teachers remained on campus except for emergencies. If they have to go out, their travel records can be traced to guarantee health. Secondly, showing concern to the people on campus. Medical masks were distributed and prevention methods and psychological counseling were provided to teachers. Apart from that, special shopping shuttles were used to help them go shopping at fixed times and fixed places as well as organized disinfection to the public space to ensure dining hall safety and daily necessities reserved. Thirdly, advancing guard and duty system at JISU. The “Four Level” duty system was implemented, the different levels were “school leaders, mid-level cadres, the relevant departments and the security department”, to make full efforts to guarantee campus safety.
