On 1 November, more than 70 international students of the University travelled to Wuzhen in Zhejiang Province, opening a social practice journey under the “Experiencing China” programme. Grounded in cultural practice as a means of education, the activity took students out of the classroom and into the Jiangnan water towns, where they experienced the historical character and humanistic atmosphere of the ancient town at first hand. It helped international students to read and understand traditional Chinese culture, and deepened their knowledge of China's history and culture and of its urban and rural development.
In the early days of winter the waters of Wuzhen run clear, and white walls and dark tiles line the banks, where the cultural depth of a thousand-year-old water town meets the vitality of everyday life. The students entered the East Scenic Area of Wuzhen and visited in turn the distillery, the Museum of a Hundred Beds and the blue calico workshop, discovering the appeal of Jiangnan culture at every step and completing a cultural exploration that was both humanistically deep and practically meaningful.
In the traditional distillery, the students learned on site about the old methods of brewing, from the fermentation of the yeast starter to the sealing and storing of the jars, experiencing throughout the craftsmanship and inheritance embodied in Chinese folk handicraft. The rising aroma of liquor and the plain, time-worn workshop scenes gave everyone a real sense of the everyday wisdom of traditional Chinese craft: that fine work comes of patience.
The Ming and Qing classical beds displayed in the Museum of a Hundred Beds drew exclamations of admiration. With carved decoration and inlaid bone, framed beams and gilded tracing, each bed revealed within its small compass the exquisite sensibility of Jiangnan woodwork. Following the sequence of the displays, the students looked closely and listened attentively to the folk stories behind the objects, coming to feel the Chinese people's deep attachment to family and to life.
At the blue calico workshop, the students learned systematically about the development of this traditional dyeing and printing technique, from the cutting of the pattern and the application of the paste to the drying of the finished cloth, and watched lengths of blue-and-white fabric billowing in the wind on the tall drying frames. Many stopped to take photographs and asked questions of their own accord, won over by the distinctive aesthetics of traditional Chinese handicraft.
In the afternoon the students strolled freely along the old street of the East Scenic Area, where the flagstone path runs long and boats come and go on the town's waterways, and the unspoilt bustle of a water town's daily life met them at every turn. Some took the sculling boats through the narrow canals; others stopped to watch the martial arts performance on the boats, where the performers moved and struck their poses on the prow with vigorous force, drawing cheer after cheer. Speaking of how the trip had felt, Guo Ailing, a student from Laos, said: “Every bridge and every old house in Wuzhen looks as though it has grown out of the water; the white walls and dark tiles are reflected on the river, and it is so beautiful that you cannot look away.”
This Wuzhen programme is one of the College's “Experiencing China” series of practice activities. Using first-hand experience as its medium, the activity allowed international students to come close to the living vitality of fine traditional Chinese culture. It broadened the students' horizons and sharpened their capacity for cross-cultural communication, and built a solid bridge of cultural communication between China and other countries.
