On 1st November 2019, the IB department celebrated its 5th World Book Day. This year’s performances were inspired by Chinese literature, a departure from previous year’s choices of English literature, which were adaptations of Mark Twain’s The Million Dollar Note, Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Unlike the inaugural production of Lu Xun’s short story “Kung I-Chi” in the first year, this year’s was a student-scripted version of the much-loved story of Mu Lan.

2019年11月1日，IB国际高中举行了第五届 “世界图书日”。今年的表演受到中国文学的启发，不同于往年英国文学的选择，如改编自马克·吐温的《百万英镑》、维克多·雨果的《悲惨世界》和简·奥斯汀的《傲慢与偏见》。与第一年首次制作的鲁迅的短篇小说《功夫》不同的是，今年的作品是由学生自主编写并深受喜爱的《木兰的故事》。

Freshly baked cookies and other refreshments welcomed our guests at the reception, which they enjoyed whilst perusing the artistically designed programmes, before they were ushered into the auditorium. There was an air of excitement and expectation as students, parents, teachers and principals waited to be dazzled by the Year 11 and Year 10 students’ performance.

同学们在会场外准备了新鲜出炉的饼干和精美的小点心，进场前，来宾们可以一边享用点心，一边预先了解节目单。在同学、家长、老师、校长充满期待的眼神中，10年级和11年级同学闪亮登场。

As the last few audience members took their seats, the lights dimmed and our emcees for the day, Thea Liu and Candice Jiang, immediately got into character as exchange student hosts. Their job was to welcome the other two emcees, Amy and Ethon, in the guise of foreign exchange students who had travelled all the way from the UK to experience Chinese culture, customs and traditions. Their lively banter gave us a brief history of Chinese literature, seamlessly leading us into the main event of the day: a play adaptation of Mu Lan, an ancient and revered Chinese folk story.  

随着最后几位观众落座，灯光暗了下来，我们当天的主持人刘静雨和姜欣悦马上进入角色，转身成为“东道主”，欢迎另外两位主持人姚孟婕和王奕淳，他俩则假扮成“交换生”，千里迢迢从英国来，专为体验中国传统文化。他们通过轻松活泼的玩笑，呈现给观众一部“极简中国文学史”，并由此带领我们走进这场精彩的演出：戏剧《木兰》，改编自古老而备受赞誉的北朝民歌《木兰辞》。

Coco Wang took on the lead role of the vivacious Mu Lan, supported by Iris who played the level-headed and protective elder sister, Muyan. 

  Winston Wang had the responsibility of representing the Emperor of a China under attack from the Huns, while the nation’s defence fell on the shoulders of Nick Cao who was the Major General. Alongside fellow cast members, the students transformed themselves into actors, beautifully and energetically bringing the age-old tale of Mu Lan to life. 

王珂颖扮演活泼的木兰，韩见闻扮演姐姐木雁，她头脑冷静并一直保护妹妹。王钧铎扮演受到匈奴人攻击的中国皇帝，而保卫国家的责任则落在了“少将”曹杰的肩上。与这些演员一起，同学们把自己当成了真正的演员，全情投入、盛装表演，将这一古老的故事鲜活地呈现在观众眼前。

During the interval, the IB dance club entertained the audience with a modern take on the traditional Chinese fan dance, showcasing another charming aspect of the culture. This was followed by a musically sensitive and riveting classical guitar performance, with Link mesmerising the audience with his impressive playing. 

演出间歇，IB国际高中舞蹈社团为观众献上了一段现代的中国传统扇子舞，令观众得以管窥中国文化的又一迷人之处。紧接着的是许翔翼同学的古典吉他演奏，吉他声婉转悠扬、引人入胜，给观众留下了深刻的印象。

As with all productions, it would not have been a success without the unified cooperation of the props, lights, makeup, costumes, publicity, curtains, background graphics, sound and microphone teams. These technical crews demonstrated exceptional collaboration and communication skills, working together to ensure that the performance ran smoothly. They greatly contributed to the overall atmosphere of the drama, highlighting crucial moments with emotive music, scenic backdrops and enchanting lighting. 

任何演出的成功都离不开团队的合作，此次演出过程中，道具组、灯光组、化妆组、服装组、宣传组、幕布组、音响组都积极配合、通力合作，展现了出色的合作沟通技巧。

他们调制出动听的音乐，设计出优美的背景，安排出迷人的灯光，共同定格了舞台上一个个精彩时分，他们为活动的顺利进行和舞台的整体氛围做出了巨大贡献。

Adding to the literary mood of the afternoon, students and teachers came dressed as characters from their favourite books. Most of the teachers opted for Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,  sporting impressive outfits which included Alice herself (Cheryl), the Ace of Spades (Principal Joel), Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (Sharyn and Yanming respectively), the Cheshire Cat (Marie), The White Queen (Kiki), the Queen of Hearts (Norma), the White Rabbit (Vicky), the timid Dormouse (Joyce), the Knave of Hearts (Charles), the March Hare (Claire), the Mad Hatter (Fay) and the author himself, Lewis Carrol (handsomely portrayed by the Vice Principal  Murdoch). The wonderful and creative costumes were a perfect reflection of the International Baccalaureate’s flamboyant, versatile and diverse character. Students also joined in the fun, many donning on traditional Han fu, complementing the adaptation of Mu Lan and celebrating China’s fashion history. 

在座的同学和老师们也为下午的文学气氛增添了浓郁的一笔，他们扮演成最喜欢的书中的人物，大多数老师选择了刘易斯·卡罗尔的经典儿童小说《爱丽丝梦游仙境》，他们的服装令人印象深刻，其中有爱丽丝本人（Cheryl),、黑桃王牌（Joel校长）、特威德·迪和特威德·杜姆（分别是Sharyn and Yanming）、柴郡猫（Marie）、白皇后（Kiki）、红桃皇后（Norma）、《白兔》（Vicky）、《胆小的睡鼠》（Joyce）、《红心人》（Charles）、《三月兔》（Claire）、《疯狂的帽子匠》（Fay）和作者刘易斯·卡罗尔（由Murdoch副校长帅气呈现）。

这场服装秀精彩不断、创意多多，表现了IB所倡导的尊重个性、多才多艺和性格多样。同学们也纷纷走进这一有趣的秀场，他们穿着传统的汉服，继续演绎着对《木兰辞》的改编，并以这样的方式致敬中国的时尚史。

Each year, the World Book Day goes from strength to strength, and this event was no exception. The Year 10s have been given a lot to think about for next year, when it will be their turn to host and demonstrate their artistic flair! 

每年的“世界读书日”活动都在不断成长，这次也不例外。10年级的孩子们现在可有了很多事情要考虑，明年将会由他们主导这项活动，相信他们定能一展艺术才华！