On October 21, 2023, the Propaganda Department of Yangxin County Party Committee organized a unique activity for cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries at the Zhan Ziqian Memorial Hall. Ten foreign guests from Russia, Pakistan, Thailand, Kenya and Mongolia were invited to this activity. They jointly explored the ancient and rich Chinese culture, and also experienced the local specialties of Yangxin County.
At the Zhan Ziqian Memorial Hall, the foreign guests not only learned about Zhan Ziqian's life story, but also appreciated "Spring Outing," the oldest landscape painting in China. The landscape painting can be dated back to the Sui Dynasty, and its presentation impressed all the guests with the rich history of Chinese paintings. At the same time, they also learned about the life stories of the contemporary calligraphers and painters of Yangxin County and admired their works. Also, they were informed of how arts have been passed down and developed in Yangxin County.
Yuan Cuihuan, a teacher from Leijia Middle School, demonstrated the charm of paper-cutting to the foreign guests, and amazed them with her exquisite paper-cutting skills. Not only that, she also taught the foreign guests to cut the patterns of butterflies, the Chinese character Xi (喜, happy) and other patterns with Chinese characteristics. The foreign guests also showed their imagination by producing a variety of paper-cutting works, fully showcasing their love and gift for this traditional art.
Zhu Guangxin, Chairman of the Yangxin County Federation of Literary and Art Circles, explained how Chinese characters have evolved and developed, giving them a deeper insight into the history of Chinese characters. He also taught the foreign guests how to write their own names on the spot, making them excited and proud. At last, Mr. Zhu and the foreign guests wrote "You Yi Wan Sui"(友谊万岁, Long Live Friendship) together, symbolizing the complete success of the cultural exchange activity.
This Sino-foreign cultural exchange activity not only promoted the friendship between Yangxin County and the rest of the world, but more people from other countries could know and appreciate the traditional cultures and arts of Yangxin County and China. Through such activities, we believe that Yangxin County will continue to go forward on the road of cultural inheritance and development and go global.