骏马迎春，文润初心：华兰萨顿的跨文化阅读之旅

As Spring Gallops In,Minds Enriched by Literature

骏马迎春，文润初心

华兰萨顿的跨文化阅读之旅

When the richness of Chinese civilisation permeates the pages of books, and the festive spirit of the New Year meets deep reading and reflection, HIKSVS launches a landmark cross-cultural reading initiative themed “Spring Gallops In.” This initiative goes beyond reading texts. It invites students to explore cultural roots, understand global perspectives, and embark on a journey of intellectual and personal growth through the rituals and reflections of the New Year season.

当中华文脉浸润书页墨香，当新春意趣碰撞深度阅读，乙巳辞旧、丙午启新的岁时节点上，华兰萨顿以“骏马迎春”为核心命题，重磅开启一场深耕文化传承、赋能素养成长的跨文化阅读盛宴。这场活动不止于字句的品读，更致力于让学生在传统与多元的碰撞中读懂文化根脉、看见世界格局，在辞旧迎新的仪式感中，完成一场关于理解与成长的精神修行。

Beyond Reading: Exploring the Spirit Behind Cultural Symbols不止于阅读：文化符号背后的精神探寻

In Chinese culture, the horse is a powerful symbol of vitality and aspiration. It represents perseverance, success, and the spirit of progress, and has carried the legacy of civilisation along the Silk Road. The Spring Festival, meanwhile, is a cultural cornerstone that embodies reunion, renewal, and regeneration—values deeply embedded in the cultural identity. But how can modern students move beyond the surface of cultural symbols and engage with their deeper cultural meanings? This question lies at the heart of the cross-cultural reading initiative at HIKSVS.

马，是中华传统文化中极具生命力的精神图腾——它承载着“千里马”的奋进之志，寄托着“龙马精神”的吉祥期许，更镌刻着丝绸之路上的文明印记;春节，则是凝聚民族情感的文化基因，团圆的期许、迎新的热忱、传承的坚守，在此刻交织成最深厚的家国情怀。如何引导当代学生穿透文化符号的表层，触及文明内核的精神本质，正是华兰萨顿这场阅读活动的核心初衷。

The programme follows a three-stage framework—Reading as Foundation, Creation as Internalisation, and Sharing as Co-creation—to provide a structured and progressive learning experience. Lower Years (Y1–Y3) expressed their understanding through colour, collage, and creativity, interpreting traditional symbols through a childlike and imaginative lens. Upper Years (Y4–Y10) used bilingual reading and writing as a bridge between cultures, producing cultural commentaries, reimagining traditional stories, and comparing Chinese and Western perspectives to deepen their critical understanding.

活动以“阅读筑基—创作内化—分享共生”的三维路径为骨架，构建了分层递进的参与体系：Y1-Y3的低年级学子，以色彩勾勒马的灵动、以拼贴诠释春节的热闹，用童真视角解构传统符号;Y4-Y10的高年级学生，则以中英双语为桥梁，或撰写文化评论、或重构传统故事、或对比中外认知，在思辨中深化对文化的理解。

Through their enquiry, students travelled across time and cultures. They explored the symbolism of horses in Chinese classics—from the majestic imagery in The Book of Songs to folk expressions such as “Gallop towards success.” They also examined Western representations, including Pegasus in Greek mythology and the horse as a symbol of freedom in Native American cultures. Students discovered that, although interpretations vary across cultures, the core values associated with horses—courage, aspiration, and freedom—are shared human ideals.

在阅读探究中，学生们跨越地域与时空的界限：他们追溯中华典籍中“马”的吉祥寓意，从《诗经》“四牡业业”的雄浑到民俗中“马到成功”的期许;他们探寻西方文化里“马”的多元象征——希腊神话中珀伽索斯的诗意翱翔，北美原住民文化里马与自由的共生共荣;更在对比中领悟：不同文化对“马”的诠释虽有差异，但其承载的奋进、勇敢、自由等精神内核，却是人类共通的价值追求。

Spring Festival traditions also became a vivid platform for cross-cultural dialogue. Students compared Chinese customs such as pasting couplets and staying up on New Year’s Eve with New Year celebrations around the world. Despite diverse practices, the universal themes of reunion, renewal, and hope resonate across humanity. This realisation helped break down cultural barriers and fostered empathy, respect, and appreciation for diverse civilisations.

春节习俗的探究同样成为跨文化对话的生动载体。学生们发现，无论是中国的贴春联、守岁，还是世界各国的新年庆典，尽管形式千差万别，但对团圆的眷恋、对新生的期盼、对美好的向往，始终是全人类共通的情感底色。这份认知打破了文化隔阂的壁垒，让不同背景的学生在情感共鸣中，建立起对多元文明的包容与尊重。

Student Works: From Cultural Learners to Cultural Ambassadors

学生作品：从文化接受者到传播者的蜕变

The student submissions form a vibrant showcase of cultural expression from multiple perspectives, fully demonstrating the young participants’ critical thinking and creativity. Some students reinterpreted the Chinese allusion “An Old Horse Knows the Way” in English, linking ancient wisdom to modern teamwork and leadership. Others wrote reflective essays, noting that “the sound of hooves along the Silk Road carried not only trade but also the exchange of civilisations—horses were not just transport, but cultural ambassadors across millennia.”

活动征集的学生作品，堪称一场多元视角下的文化表达盛宴，尽显少年们的思辨力与创造力：有学生以英文重构“老马识途”的典故，将古人的智慧与当代的团队协作精神相结合，赋予传统故事全新的时代价值;有学生在征文中写下：“丝绸之路上的马蹄声，不仅踏通了贸易的商道，更架起了文明互鉴的桥梁，马是交通工具，更是穿越千年的文化使者”;还有学生以绘画、诗歌、短剧等形式，展现春节习俗与海外节日的异同，用稚嫩却真挚的表达，诠释着“各美其美，美美与共”的文化理念。

These works mark a transformation: students have moved from passive recipients of culture to active interpreters and communicators of it. Selected pieces are now displayed in a dedicated cultural exhibition area in the school library, where each painting, text, and creative work continues to tell the story of growth, understanding, and cultural dialogue.

这些作品的诞生，标志着学生们已从被动的文化接受者，逐步转变为主动的文化阐释者与积极的传播者，实现了文化理解的深层跃迁。如今，优秀作品已在校园图书馆打造为专属文化展区，每一幅画作、每一篇文字、每一段创作，都在无声诉说着这场阅读之旅的收获与成长，让文化的影响力在校园中持续蔓延、生生不息。

Culture as a Pathway: Towards a Future of Shared Civilisation

以文载道：奔赴多元共生的未来

At HIKSVS, we believe that education is about nurturing future global citizens who are rooted in their own traditions while embracing the wider world. True core competencies begin with cultural identity, grow through respectful dialogue with other civilisations, and culminate in a compassionate response to global challenges. The “Welcoming Spring with the Spirit of the Horse” programme is a living example of this philosophy in action. It enables students to appreciate Chinese heritage while developing a global perspective, to find common ground through difference, and to reimagine the future through tradition.

教育的本质，是培养能够扎根传统、拥抱世界的未来公民。华兰萨顿始终坚信，真正的核心素养，始于对本土文化的深刻认同，成于对多元文明的尊重对话，终于以包容之心回应人类共同的关切。这场“骏马迎春”跨文化阅读活动，正是这一教育理念的生动实践——它让学生在读懂中华传统的同时，学会用全球视野看待世界，在理解差异中凝聚共识，在传承经典中开拓创新。

HIKSVS will continue to expand cross-cultural education initiatives, designing learning experiences that combine cultural depth with global breadth. Our aim is to ensure that every student grows through cultural immersion and moves forward through global dialogue.

展望未来，华兰萨顿将继续深耕跨文化教育，设计更多兼具文化深度与全球广度的学习体验，让每一位学生都能在文化的浸润中成长，在多元的对话中前行。

As the Year of the Horse approaches, HIKSVS students are ready to stride forward—embracing challenges and opportunities in an interconnected world with the vigour of a galloping horse, the openness of Spring Festival reunions, and the wisdom of cultural understanding. Carrying culture forward through learning and action, they will build creatively upon their heritage, grow through understanding, and step confidently towards a brilliant future of their own making.

丙午马年将至，华兰萨顿的少年们已然整装待发：他们将以骏马奔腾的奋进之姿，迎接全球化时代的挑战与机遇;以春节团圆的开放胸怀，拥抱这个多元互联的美好世界;以文载道，以行践知，在传承中创新，在理解中成长，奔赴属于他们的璀璨未来!

本月图书推荐

The Wild Robot

《荒野机器人》

Dear Young Readers,

亲爱的小读者们：

“The Wild Robot” is about a lonely robot that washed up on a wild island and has to learn how to survive, make friends, and find her place in a world that thinks she doesn’t belong.

《荒野机器人》讲述了一个孤独的机器人被海浪冲上一座荒野岛屿的故事。她必须学会生存、结交朋友，并在这个认为她格格不入的世界中找到属于自己的位置。

You can quickly connect with her awkwardness and bravery as she cares for an orphaned gosling and slowly becomes part of the animal community.

当她照料一只失去父母的小鹅，并逐渐融入动物群落时，你一定会被她笨拙又勇敢的举动深深打动。

The book is full of cliffhanger chapters, animal adventures, and funny, touching moments that make it perfect for reading aloud.

书中充满了扣人心弦的章节、动物世界的冒险，以及许多有趣又动人的时刻，非常适合大声朗读。

Most importantly, it gently opens up big conversations about kindness, difference, family, and looking after our natural world, all in a way that feels exciting.

最重要的是，它以一种令人兴奋的方式，自然而然地引出了关于善良、差异、家庭以及守护自然世界的重要话题。

“Animal sounds filled the forest. Chirps and wingbeats and rustlings in the underbrush. And then, from the sea cliffs, there came new sounds. Heavy, crunching footsteps. The forest animals fell silent, and from their hiding places they watched as a sparkling monster stomped past.” - excerpt from “The Wild Robot by Peter Brown”

“森林里充满了动物的声音——啾啾的鸣叫、扑翅的声响，还有灌木丛中的窸窣声。接着，从海边的悬崖上传来新的声音：沉重而嘎吱作响的脚步声。森林里的动物们顿时安静下来，它们从藏身之处望出去，看着一个闪闪发亮的怪物踏步走过。”——选自彼得·布朗《荒野机器人》

Happy Reading !

阅读快乐!

《马到功成》

Dear Young Readers,

亲爱的小读者们：

我想向大家推荐一本马年专属的宝藏读物——《马到功成》。这是2026年全球首部生肖贺岁电影的官方典藏图书，书里精选了蒙古马、普氏野马等八大传奇马种，既能看到它们在草原和荒野里的生存智慧，也能读到人马相伴的温情故事。它还会带你走进生肖马的文化世界，读懂“奋进、忠诚”这些藏在传统里的美好品质。翻开这本书，就像跟着马儿踏上一场奇妙旅程，不仅能收获满满的知识，更能感受到马年独有的勇气与力量。让我们一起在书香里迎接新春，跟着这些骏马的故事，向着新的一年全力奔跑吧!

Happy Reading !

阅读快乐!