From July 4th to 5th, the "Zhixing" Chinese Cultural Heritage Practice Group from School of International Education embarked on a summer social practice trip to Wuling Ancient Town in Fengquan District, Xinxiang City. With the theme of "Promoting the Inheritance of Chinese Culture actively and Telling the Stories of the Central Plains with Youthful Voices",the group aimed to guide young students to deeply understand and consciously inherit the excellent traditional culture, narrate the stories of the Central Plains and spread the voice of China by means of visits, research interviews, volunteer services, and thematic discussions.
At the Luwang Mausoleum, a key national cultural relic protection unit, the team members followed the tour guide to visit the Sacred Way, the Luwang Prince Mausoleum, the Five-Vessel Altar, the Minglou, the Secondary Concubine's Tomb and the Peony Garden, appreciating the profound historical changes of the Central Plains. Despite the ravages of war and weather, the magnificent green and white stone buildings and intricately carved Sacred Way stone carvings presented to later generations the exquisite crafts manship and wisdom of the ancients. Wandering among the relics guarded by towering ancient trees, the team members not only gained insights into the rich historical information and humanistic connotations of Chinese burial culture but also had a more intuitive understanding of the history and cultural evolution of Xinxiang City, which is known as the "Gateway to Ten Provinces in the South and Guardian of the Capital in the North."
At the Central Plains Stone Carving Art Museum in Xinxiang, the team followed the axis of the Horse Tethering Stone Exhibition, carefully appreciating the collection of stone carvings, pottery, household artifacts, folk inscriptions and other exhibitions. These ancient stone carving components, ceramics, sculptures, paintings, poetry and colors showed the production, life and customs of the Central Plains over thousands of years. Through this journey, the team members not only profoundly felt the richness of history and the splendor of culture but also realized the importance of preserving and inheriting traditional culture. In the context of the new era, these stone artifacts glow with new brilliance, becoming bridges connecting the past and the future and injecting new vitality into cultural innovation and social progress. The team will continue its efforts to raise awareness of the value of these cultural treasures and jointly protect and inherit the glory of Chinese civilization.
During the traditional architectural culture practice session, the team discovered that in the traditional dwellings of the Central Plains, Wuling Village has replicated the well-preserved Shanxi Merchants' Mansions and the Yu Garden, a Jiangnan garden recorded in the history of Chinese gardens, giving visitors the sensation of traveling thousands of miles in a single day. From the land of Sanjin to the pastoral scenery of Muye, from the Taihang Mountains to the water towns of Jiangnan, the team members carefully observed the structures, materials and decorations of traditional buildings from different regions, learning about their unique architectural styles and techniques. Additionally, through interactions with local residents, they gained a deeper understanding of the historical backgrounds, cultural connotations and current conservation status of traditional architecture, experiencing the charm of vernacular architectural heritage and the wisdom of ancient builders. In the future, the team will continue to focus on the conservation and development of traditional architecture, actively participating in related social practices and research to contribute to the inheritance and development of traditional architecture.
At the Zhongyuan Integrity Museum, the first public welfare museum in China themed on integrity culture, the team members visited six exhibition halls in sequence and viewed over 300 artifacts such as stone tools, silk tapestries, bills and coins. They also learned about the integrity stories of some famous figures and the honest business practices of century-old brands and participated in VR interactions, immersing themselves in the value and difficulty of adhering to integrity.Through the visit, all the group members gained a profound understanding of the rich heritage of Chinese nation's integrity culture, the development of integrity thought and the significant measures and achievements of the Party and the state in promoting the construction of an integrity society, further solidifying their belief in practicing the Core Values of Chinese Socialism.
At the Party History Museum of Wuling Village, the team members learned about the development process of the Wuling Village Party organization, some important events and achievements in various historical periods, and witnessed the happy life under the leadership of the Communist Partyin implementing the rural revitalization strategy, which aroused their patriotism and love for the Party. At the Wuling Time Bank, they learned about the innovative and practical public service model of "storing time for future use," "exchanging time for time, love for love," and "all for one, one for all," experiencing the sense of gaining, happiness and security brought by the combination of modern volunteer service systems and traditional culture of kindness and good neighborhood.
This social practice activity not only promote dstudents’in-depthunderstanding and respect for the excellent traditional Chinese culturessuch asvirtues, architecture, stone carving and kindness to neighborhood, but also strengthened their cultural confidence and national pride in loving their hometown culture and telling Chinese stories well. It also inspired young students to return home for employment and actively integrate into the development of local cultural undertakings and industries, so as to contribute their youthful strength to make the Central Plains even more splendid. (Writtenby Fan Lin; Reviewed by Dong Yuelei)
