As the Year of the Horse begins, campuses across the BASIS International & Bilingual Schools network welcomed the Spring Festival with celebrations rich in tradition, creativity, and connection. From temple fairs and cultural weeks to performances, festive dinners, and faculty gatherings, each school brought its own spirit to the season while reflecting a shared commitment to immersive, meaningful learning.
BASIS International School Shenzhen
A campus-wide celebration welcomed the season under the theme “Ten Thousand Horses Galloping.” Classrooms transformed into vibrant cultural studios where students explored paper-cutting, lantern-making, calligraphy, painting, and zodiac-inspired crafts. Our teachers joined hands-on workshops to learn about the symbolism of the horse, while parent volunteers stepped into classrooms to lead lantern riddles, couplet writing, traditional craft-making, and even innovative storytelling experiences that blended heritage with modern technology. Across divisions, performances, dumpling-making, and family-centered events strengthened connections and filled the campus with warmth.
The festive spirit extended beyond school hours to celebrate our faculty as well. BASIS International School Shenzhen and BASIS Bilingual Kindergarten Nanshan gathered together for a faculty celebration filled with singing, dancing, traditional drums, prizes, and giveaways. Educators were not simply in attendance, they were central to the energy of the evening, taking the stage and celebrating alongside colleagues. Similar faculty gatherings took place across the network, reflecting a culture where school communities celebrate together as fully as they learn together.
BASIS International School Guangzhou
Festive performances inspired by the Zodiac story brought music, movement, and storytelling to life. The campus gathered to celebrate the Year of the Horse through collaborative performances that highlighted confidence, creativity, and community spirit. Beyond the stage, Spring Festival learning continued through thoughtfully designed classroom activities that explored symbolism, tradition, and artistic expression.
BASIS International School Hangzhou
Spring Festival at BASIS International School Hangzhou extended beyond celebration into meaningful student leadership and cultural exploration. The student-led Clubs for Change New Year Fair brought the community together through interactive booths that blended creativity with purpose. Meanwhile, the Traditional Culture Club’s exhibition, Scenery Across Millennia, showcased calligraphy, bamboo-scroll crafts, opera mask designs, and poetry.
https://www.tiktok.com/@basisintlschools/video/7603887711736368397
BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour
The final days before the holiday were marked by Campus Spirit Week and a multi-day Cultural Week dedicated to Spring Festival traditions. Students explored the meaning of red envelopes, practiced calligraphy, created heritage-inspired artwork, and participated in hands-on culinary experiences that connected traditional flavors with cultural understanding. Creativity and camaraderie defined the celebration to welcome the Year of the Horse.
BASIS International School Nanjing
Festive decorations and joyful gatherings set the tone for a series of celebrations across the campus. A lively Temple Fair welcomed families into an atmosphere filled with dragon dances, calligraphy, traditional games, crafts, and sweet treats. Cultural workshops invited students to experience paper-cutting, clay modeling, painting, and other heritage-inspired activities firsthand. Literary connections and creative student-led booths linked classical texts with Spring Festival traditions, while a shared New Year feast and family dinner fostered meaningful connections among students, teachers, and parents.
BASIS Bilingual School Shenzhen
Music and performance took center stage through the Annual Winter Concert, where bands, choirs, dancers, and instrumentalists filled the theater with festive spirit. The celebration continued with a Spring Carnival featuring traditional décor and interactive cultural game booths. Students moved between lantern riddles, pitch-pot, paper cutting, and nostalgic childhood games, guided by older peers who modeled leadership and encouragement.
BASIS International & Bilingual Schools Chengdu
A dynamic Chinese New Year Fair unfolded through themed cultural pavilions inspired by different dynasties. Art, traditional games, calligraphy, porcelain painting, shadow puppetry, and festive cooking created an immersive journey through history. A fully student-curated performance brought classical imagery and modern expression together on stage, demonstrating how culture can be explored, interpreted, and reimagined through collaboration. Finished off with a craft fair benefiting young patients at the local children’s hospital.
BASIS International & Bilingual Schools Wuhan
A vibrant Spring Festival Garden Fair brought the campus to life with red lanterns, paper-cut decorations, and a shared sense of celebration. An energetic cheerleading flash mob and a dynamic lion dance set the tone, filling the space with rhythm and New Year blessings. Hands-on booths invited students to shape dough figurines, design creative keepsakes, write wishes, and explore traditional arts alongside classmates and parents. A festive buffet and dumpling-making event added to the celebration rooted in culture, collaboration, and community.
BASIS Bilingual School Guangming Shenzhen
A vibrant Spring Garden Fair blended classical traditions with contemporary creativity. Calligraphy, stamp carving, fan painting, chess, and horse-themed crafts invited families to explore culture through shared experiences. Tradition felt alive and accessible as students engaged in both scholarly arts and playful events.
BASIS Bilingual Kindergarten Nanshan
Spring Festival at BASIS Bilingual Kindergarten Nanshan covered the campus as a joyful temple fair where heritage met childhood wonder. As sugar paintings shimmered and drums echoed across campus, young performers opened the celebration with spirited drumming and a vibrant dragon dance, followed by festive songs, traditional attire, magic performances, and an energetic lion dance that filled the space with color and movement.
@basisintlschools Spring Festival Temple Fair Celebration meets immersive learning at BASIS Bilingual Kindergarten Nanshan. From student drummers to dragon and lion dances, culture came to life through hands-on exploration. Thinking about teaching abroad? This is what it can look like: collaborative, culturally rich, and fully engaging. #Teachers #teachersoftiktok #TeachInChina #ChineseNewYear #ECE
♬ original sound – basisinternationalschools – basisinternationalschools
BASIS Bilingual Kindergarten Futian
A lively Chinese New Year Bazaar welcomed families for a day filled with crafts, games, and shared discovery. Canvas printing, zodiac art, festive challenges, and cookie-making stations turned tradition into hands-on exploration. Participation and collaboration were celebrated, leaving our young learners with both tangible keepsakes and lasting memories.
Across all of our campuses, the Year of the Horse arrived with imagination, warmth, and a strong sense of belonging. These celebrations reflected more than festivity, they embodied cultural appreciation, experiential learning, and the shared spirit that defines BASIS International & Bilingual Schools. Happy Chinese New Year!
