Daren Culture Event brings together people from different countries, invites dialogue across cultures, and weaves together diverse ways of life — dedicated to building a platform rooted in humanity, inclusivity, and openness.
[Various Stalls]
- Traditional cultural experiences – passing on civilization through our hearts
Calligraphy:
The stall offers calligraphy demonstrations and hands-on experiences. Visitors can observe the writing process up close, feel the charm of ink and brush, and also try writing themselves, appreciating the traditional beauty of Chinese calligraphy in every stroke.
Jiuyi Hanfu:
With a focus on traditional Chinese clothing culture, the stall showcased a variety of elegant Hanfu (traditional Han Chinese clothing), allowing guests to experience the beauty of Chinese attire up close. The stall combined clothing displays, cultural exchange, and photo opportunities, enabling more people to appreciate the etiquette and aesthetic charm embodied in Hanfu.
Shadow puppetry:
Shadow puppetry has a long history in China and is a major part of the Spring Festival celebrations. The shadow puppetry stall showcased many unique finished products and offered hands-on lessons for children on how to play with shadow puppets, while the children’s eyes lit up. The stall also attracted many visitors from different countries. The unique charm of this traditional art form enriched Daren culture event, allowing more people to appreciate the allure of traditional Chinese culture.
Sugar painting:
This sweet art, using sugar as ink and slate as paper, carries craftsmanship and warmth. For four consecutive years, Vicky has participated in Daren Culture Event with her skills, popularizing the origin and history of sugar painting on site, and her sugar painting works have been loved by people from different countries.
Dragon Whisker Candy:
Handmade by Mr. Wang Jiaqi, the fifth-generation inheritor of the Dragon Whisker Candy family, this marks his fourth participation in the Daren Culture Event. Building upon traditional techniques, Mr. Wang incorporates New Zealand Manuka honey, milk powder, and macadamia nuts to create a modern, low-sugar, nutritious, and healthy Dragon Whisker Candy. Each strand contains as many as 130,000 threads, repeatedly wound into an auspicious figure-eight loop during production, symbolizing 130,000 blessings contained within. The Dragon Whisker Candy has received widespread acclaim and has been named one of New Zealand’s ” Top 100 Iconic Specialty Foods of 2025. “
- Art & Parent-Child Interaction – Artistic Fun, Joyful Growth
Kelly Art Studio:
Exquisite artworks are not only pleasing to the eye, but also inspire children’s interest in painting, enlighten their aesthetic perception, and unleash their unlimited potential.
Lorena Handicrafts:
Lorena Handicrafts brought their exquisite artworks to the event. The wide variety of pieces, crafted with superb techniques and made with the finest materials, captivated many visitors.
Face-Painting/Balloon Twisting:
A joyful gathering place for children! Watch volunteers create unique designs with their nimble fingers; or see how long balloons are transformed into countless shapes in skillful hands.
Family Activities:
The children lingered at the stall, making handicrafts on-site. They chose their favorite designs and, with the help of their parents and volunteers, successfully completed their creations, taking their little achievements home with a sense of accomplishment. There’s also a little fishing game—simple, entertaining, and full of delightful surprises!
LingoAce Online Chinese Education:
LingoAce offers clearly structured and engaging learning paths tailored to different ages and Chinese proficiency levels , providing a conducive learning environment for those interested in Chinese .
Trendy Treasures children’s items:
The Trendy Treasures children’s products stall brings together a variety of children’s products and toys that are both practical and fun.
- Daren Culture: Protecting humanity, putting people first.
Daren Gubai:
The Daren Gubai ceremony is a distinctive feature of Daren Culture Event and one of their core components. It helps people to pay homage to Heaven, Earth, and Humanity with the most peaceful state of mind, expressing their longing and respect for their loved ones. It also helps people express the inherent respect, love, and compassion for life.
At the “Daren Gubai” stall, people can sign up to participate, familiarize themselves with the process, and gain a deeper understanding, thus stepping into this unique cultural experience.
Daren Conversations:
Focus on people, based on life. Everyone can appreciate the warmth of humanity in conversation.
Many people from different faiths, nationalities, and cultural backgrounds came to participate in the conversations. They were Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, Christians, and atheists. Although their beliefs differed, they shared their understanding of thought, life, and the world in a harmonious and friendly atmosphere in Daren’s space. Even after the event ended, they were still reluctant to leave.
New Culture Movement:
The “New Culture Movement”, aiming to establish a humane and just social environment, made its debut at the Daren Culture Event stall this year. Its unique concept, “The DaZhan Code”, garnered much attention and support, with people expressing their anticipation for this new environment. A middle-aged Chinese woman, after participating in the signature and line-drawing activity, said, “You did a great job! This is what a normal society should look like.” A mother from the Philippines with two children, after hearing the volunteers’ introduction, gave a thumbs up and went to the signature board to write her name, while drawing a line to indicate that she would start practicing “The DaZhan Code”.
Daren Mutual Help:
Daren Life Society, offers people a new way of life—one that solves real-life problems without relying on money, specific skills, or other limitations. Daren Mutual Help focuses on people; it strives to provide whatever people need, embodying the principle of mutual help among people. With increasing volunteer participation and refinement, the Daren Mutual Help Platform is providing convenience to more people in society.
The event offered free services such as Maximizing Resources Utilization, Appliance Repair, and Clothing Sewing & Mending. Volunteers enthusiastically helped everyone solve their problems.
- Social Welfare Protection – Health Care, Companionship of Love
Evergreen Natural Clinic:
Having served the public in Auckland for many years, helping many friends resolve their health concerns, they are at the Daren Culture Event to provide health consultation services to visitors.
Comprehensive health care/smoking cessation:
The Auckland City Council’s smoking cessation agency has set up a professional consultation desk, where volunteers provide personalized smoking cessation plans to citizens in need. In an interview, a volunteer said, “I’m very happy to participate in the Daren Culture Cvent. I felt everyone’s enthusiasm and agree with Daren Culture’s philosophy. The city government established the smoking cessation agency in the hope of reducing pollution in New Zealand’s environment and that everyone can work together to create a humane, smoke-free environment. Daren Culture aims to create a humane and just environment; we are all human beings, and we share a common ground because of our desire to be humane. I hope to have more opportunities to cooperate in the future.”
Awesome Clinic Traditional Chinese Medicine:
Free on-site medical consultations were provided, along with traditional health services such as massage therapy and meridian regulation.
Cervical, breast, and bowel health check:
Providing services such as basic vital sign testing and rapid blood routine screening, and offer on-site consultations to bring convenience to everyone, providing health solutions for many people in need.
Auckland Council Animal Management
The stall displayed photos of stray dog rescues, and the staff gently explained to the children that “every life deserves respect,” and that “protecting animals is about caring for life. Dogs, like people, have feelings and thoughts. The environment also has a great influence on dogs. If they are not well cared for and become stray dogs, they may go astray. All of this requires people’s love to treat animals kindly and to live in harmony with all things.”
- Leisure and entertainment – a moment of relaxation, a carefree experience.
Various Food
Pronto Coffee
Fresh Popcorn
Candy Floss
VR experience
Please stay tuned for the more articles from the “2026 Daren Culture Event Recap” series, where we will bring you more exciting content such as the Daren Gubai ceremony and the highlights of volunteers.