Expats attend Winter Solstice event in Ordos

Dozens of expatriates gathered at Jiuchenggong resort in Ordos to celebrate Winter Solstice on Dec 22, a traditional Chinese lunar festival.

Activities on-site included city and tourism promotion activities, cultural exchange events, and presentations. Some foreigners performed unique songs and dances from their respective countries, and they also shared their experiences and feelings about Ordos from studying, working and living in the city.

There is a saying that Winter Solstice is as important as Spring Festival for Chinese people, during which families get together to make dumplings and socialize, said Zhang Xiaoping, vice-director of Ordos municipal publicity department and head of Ordos cyberspace office.

"This Chinese event for foreigners aims to allow those studying or living in Ordos to feel the warmth of the city and experience traditional local customs; deepening their understanding of Ordos," added Zhang.

Aaron Patterson, a British citizen, has lived in China for over six years.

"It's been a few years since I last skied in France," recalled Patterson.

"I feel excited to meet new foreign friends here and enjoy skiing with them at the Jiuchenggong resort," he added.

The organizers also presented the English-language brochures about Ordos and divided the attendees into groups to make dumplings or jiaozi to celebrate the lunar festival. During the competition, Patterson and his teammates worked together to finish kneading, rolling, filling, and wrapping. Though he and his teammates didn’t win first place, he claims he still enjoyed the process.

Patterson also expressed his fascination with Chinese culture and Mongolian music and dancing, and claimed he felt truly happy with his experience of celebrating the Winter Solstice.

In recent years, more and more expats have come to Ordos to make their contribution to the innovation, science and education of the city, and have helped to promote economic and cultural exchanges between the city and countries around the world.