Tianjin University students making dumplings with Chinese teachers for Spring Festival, on Feb 17. [Photo by Liu Dongyue/Xinhua]

Tianjin University got more than 200 international students from around the world together to try their hand at making traditional dumplings to celebrate Spring Festival with Chinese faculty members, and to welcome the year of the goat, and get a taste of traditional fare.

The Chinese like dumplings on Spring Festival day, similar to the Americans and their turkey on Thanksgiving Day, since the Chinese characters for dumpling, "jiaozi", connote the connection of the last day of the past year and the first day of the new year.