there was a closing ceremony for the 22nd bluestar international summer camp, in beijing, in the pla opera house, on aug 9, with the chinese and foreign children singing the summer camp theme song “growing up under a blue sky” together at the ceremony. some of them got very emotional when it came to depart and appeared on the verge of tears.
so, they comforted each other, and the moment of saying goodbye remains in the future.
the 20 days was a long time and even a heavy rain didn’t stop many parents from coming to the closing ceremony to pick up their children whom they hadn’t seen for a long time.
but, 20 days was also too short. at one moment the children were enjoying their time together, the next, there they were, having to return home.
at times, children could get homesick, but now, they’re reluctant to leave their playmates, their teachers, and the summer camp.
more than 330 campers from various countries put on a great show, complete with dances, songs, instrument ensembles, and bits of drama. many of the shows were an impressive integration of chinese and foreign cultures. the french children wore red chinese yangko clothing and joined the chinese children in reciting the poet li bai’s “contemplation on a quiet night”. the foreign kids twisted their tongues, trying very hard to learn the chinese, and their performance cracked the audience up. in the end, they did a yangko dance as well.
jens and robert, two foreign team leaders, sang the song ‘azalea’ in chinese and added a rap section to the song, showing a foreigner’s sense of curiosity and enthusiasm toward chinese culture.
the shows were excellent, representing the thoroughness of the exchanges over the summer, and provided an opportunity for the chinese and foreigners to learn from each other, just as their parents do when they work together. the innocence of the children touched the grown-ups, and one of the children, zheng zixuan, from gansu’s gulang county, left the audience with a deep impression of her unassuming nature. one norwegian girl told about her appendectomy and the care that the medical staff gave and her gratitude touched everyone.
ren jianxin, the chemchina gm, was also moved by the performances and addressed the ceremony, reminding the audience that bluestar began holding the summer camp 22 years earlier, and in that space of time it had spread from lanzhou to all across the country and was playing a much more important role in children's summer vacation. this year, ren added, more than 1,100 children from many countries had taken part in the camp, in 19 cities. the song says that bluestar is our big family and our future and those days at the summer camp are unforgettable, he said, and explained that he believes that the summer camp will carry on in the future, as will bluestar’s spirit and culture.
as the closing ceremony wound down, the children exchange contact information and said they were looking forward to a reunion next time.