Developing Mandarin Language Capabilities for Poltekpar Bali Civitas, TCI FPar Unud Collaborates to Host Lantern Festival
BADUNG, balipuspanews.com – The synergy between the Tourism Confucius Institute (TCI) of the Faculty of Tourism at Udayana University (FPar Unud) and Bali Tourism Polytechnic (Poltekpar Bali) was seriously implemented through the organization of the Lantern Festival 2024. This event was not only a form of respect and closer understanding of Chinese culture but also aimed primarily at learning Mandarin, the main language of Chinese tourists. The festival took place on Friday (23/2/2024) at the Auditorium of Politeknik Pariwisata Bali.
The Lantern Festival featured Chinese arts such as Lion Dance (Barongsai) and Wushu. Meanwhile, Balinese arts were represented by several traditional Balinese dances performed by Poltekpar Bali students, all of which were equally captivating. Director of TCI FPar Unud Dr. I Made Sendra, M.Si., stated that the Lantern Festival is part of the spring festival welcoming the Chinese New Year. The Lantern Festival, also known as Cap Go Meh, marks the 15th day and the closing of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
“Cap Go Meh symbolizes the 15th day and the closing of the Chinese New Year celebration. ‘Cap’ means ten, ‘go’ means five, and ‘meh’ means night. So, it signifies that the Chinese New Year celebration lasts for fifteen days and is closed with Cap Go Meh,” explained Sendra. He mentioned that each celebration in the annual cycle of Chinese society is generally celebrated as a public festival. Historically, China, like Indonesia and particularly Bali, was an agrarian society.
Sendra pointed out that the Lantern Festival at Poltekpar Bali campus, Nusa Dua, Badung, is an implementation of the cooperation established between TCI FPar Unud and Poltekpar Bali. This year's Lantern Festival targets tourism higher education institutions to enhance the academic community's competence, especially in mastering Mandarin, given the high number of Chinese tourists visiting Bali.
After Covid-19, in the first quarter of 2024, Chinese tourists ranked second after Australians in terms of visits. Sendra believes this indicates that Chinese tourist recovery has rebounded post-pandemic. Efforts are continuously made to improve human resources quality in both educational and non-formal institutions, such as providing Mandarin language training to 85 tour guides.
“We chose local Balinese guides for Mandarin training because they understand Balinese culture. We believe that Balinese guides would not tarnish their own culture. Thus, when handling guests, they can provide accurate explanations,” said Sendra, accompanied by TCI China's Director Prof. Tao Xian Guang. At the same event, Vice Director I of Poltekpar Bali Dr. I Gusti Agung Gede Witarsana, S.ST.Par., MM., CHE., stated that collaboration with TCI FPar Unud is a step towards developing the capabilities of Poltekpar Bali's civitas, considering that the campus established in 1978 aims for international standards.
Enhancing Mandarin language skills, he said, is essential for both students and lecturers, as Bali is a world tourism destination. Millions of foreign tourists visit, including a significant number from China. “Our collaboration with TCI includes scholarship programs and the facilitation of Mandarin language lecturers. Starting this semester, we are offering Mandarin as an option for students, complementing the previously available languages of Japanese, German, and French,” he explained.
The opportunity to learn Mandarin is also open to Poltekpar lecturers who wish to deepen their knowledge. Instructors are provided by TCI FPar Unud. Witarsana noted that students have shown a strong interest, as evidenced by their enthusiasm for the Lantern Festival. “Student enthusiasm for learning Mandarin is very high. As managers of the tourism business study program, which is closely related to tour operations and guiding, Mandarin is highly relevant and offers significant opportunities in the future job market,” he concluded.
sourse by : https://www.balipuspanews.com/kembangkan-kapabilitas-sivitas-poltekpar-bali-bahasa-mandarin-sinergi-tci-fpar-unud-gelar-lantern-festival.html
The Lantern Festival featured Chinese arts such as Lion Dance (Barongsai) and Wushu. Meanwhile, Balinese arts were represented by several traditional Balinese dances performed by Poltekpar Bali students, all of which were equally captivating. Director of TCI FPar Unud Dr. I Made Sendra, M.Si., stated that the Lantern Festival is part of the spring festival welcoming the Chinese New Year. The Lantern Festival, also known as Cap Go Meh, marks the 15th day and the closing of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
“Cap Go Meh symbolizes the 15th day and the closing of the Chinese New Year celebration. ‘Cap’ means ten, ‘go’ means five, and ‘meh’ means night. So, it signifies that the Chinese New Year celebration lasts for fifteen days and is closed with Cap Go Meh,” explained Sendra. He mentioned that each celebration in the annual cycle of Chinese society is generally celebrated as a public festival. Historically, China, like Indonesia and particularly Bali, was an agrarian society.
Sendra pointed out that the Lantern Festival at Poltekpar Bali campus, Nusa Dua, Badung, is an implementation of the cooperation established between TCI FPar Unud and Poltekpar Bali. This year's Lantern Festival targets tourism higher education institutions to enhance the academic community's competence, especially in mastering Mandarin, given the high number of Chinese tourists visiting Bali.
After Covid-19, in the first quarter of 2024, Chinese tourists ranked second after Australians in terms of visits. Sendra believes this indicates that Chinese tourist recovery has rebounded post-pandemic. Efforts are continuously made to improve human resources quality in both educational and non-formal institutions, such as providing Mandarin language training to 85 tour guides.
“We chose local Balinese guides for Mandarin training because they understand Balinese culture. We believe that Balinese guides would not tarnish their own culture. Thus, when handling guests, they can provide accurate explanations,” said Sendra, accompanied by TCI China's Director Prof. Tao Xian Guang. At the same event, Vice Director I of Poltekpar Bali Dr. I Gusti Agung Gede Witarsana, S.ST.Par., MM., CHE., stated that collaboration with TCI FPar Unud is a step towards developing the capabilities of Poltekpar Bali's civitas, considering that the campus established in 1978 aims for international standards.
Enhancing Mandarin language skills, he said, is essential for both students and lecturers, as Bali is a world tourism destination. Millions of foreign tourists visit, including a significant number from China. “Our collaboration with TCI includes scholarship programs and the facilitation of Mandarin language lecturers. Starting this semester, we are offering Mandarin as an option for students, complementing the previously available languages of Japanese, German, and French,” he explained.
The opportunity to learn Mandarin is also open to Poltekpar lecturers who wish to deepen their knowledge. Instructors are provided by TCI FPar Unud. Witarsana noted that students have shown a strong interest, as evidenced by their enthusiasm for the Lantern Festival. “Student enthusiasm for learning Mandarin is very high. As managers of the tourism business study program, which is closely related to tour operations and guiding, Mandarin is highly relevant and offers significant opportunities in the future job market,” he concluded.
sourse by : https://www.balipuspanews.com/kembangkan-kapabilitas-sivitas-poltekpar-bali-bahasa-mandarin-sinergi-tci-fpar-unud-gelar-lantern-festival.html
