On the first day of their trip to Weinan, Shaanxi province, the group — a diverse mixture of students from home and abroad — arrived at the ancient city of Hancheng,
The historical site, located in Hancheng, a county-level city of Weinan, is known for its millennium-old history and ancient buildings that span different dynasties, many of which are still being used today, as shops, temples, or performing arts venues.
This group of students are the participants of Generation Z 2023: The Future of the Silk Road, a program hosted by the China Public Relations Association that invites students from different cultural backgrounds to experience and learn about traditional and modern Chinese culture.
Having attended a performance of traditional Chinese Qinqiang Opera and a short play about Wang Jie, a loyal and honest official from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Fazle Mahmud from Bangladesh, now a postgraduate student in education at Shanghai International Studies University, took the stage and gave a performance of ventriloquism.
Holding a hand puppet, he performed excerpts of classic Chinese songs, including Sweet on You by Teresa Teng, Wishing You Well by Sun Yue and Loving You by rock band Beyond in Cantonese.
Better known as Archie, he has studied in China for more than four years. He first learned about this program three years ago when his university posted about it on its public WeChat account looking for talented participants.
Reflecting on his own skills, he decided to make a video of his ventriloquism with a dog hand puppet, applied to the university and succeeded in being admitted to the program.
"When I made the video, I told myself that someday that puppy will take me to a place which I have never seen before and I have never thought of. And then, when they said that I was selected and I would go and see the Yellow River, I was emotional and almost crying," he recalls.
One stop was at Weinan's Tongguan county, an ancient city near a vital ferry crossing of the Yellow River. Situated at the junction of Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan provinces, throughout history, Tongguan has been a highly contested military stronghold.
The former fortress there has now been transformed into the Tongguan Museum, which preserves more than 1,700 cultural artifacts and showcases the region's historical significance and cultural heritage.
After viewing the exhibition, visitors can step outside onto the terrace on the top floor, where they can enjoy a bird's-eye view of the juncture of three rivers — the Yellow River, Weihe and Luohe.
"I was so happy when I finally saw the Yellow River. I'm so pleased I was able to come here. It's even more amazing that I was able to come to a place like this by not moving my lips," he adds.
The participants of the program were divided into three groups to explore different Chinese cities. In Weinan, the students toured six counties or county-level cities — Hancheng, Huayin, Heyang, Chengcheng, Dali and Tongguan. They visited historical sites, scenic spots, and modern farms, where they learned about culture and history, viewed and experienced performing arts, as well as planted their own saplings.
With rich cultural resources, Weinan now has 17 national-level intangible cultural heritage projects and 123 provincial-level projects. The numbers of its national-level intangible cultural heritage projects and inheritors rank the highest in Shaanxi province.
One of the first art forms the students encountered was Huayin Laoqiang (laoqiang meaning ancient tune), a folk opera style listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage. Because of its powerful and raw vocal characteristics, the art form is often described as the traditional Chinese version of rock 'n' roll.
"When we went to see the performance, I was feeling a little tired, but once I got there and the show began, I became so energetic," says Syton Peter Chawinga from Malawi, also a student from Shanghai International Studies University.
"It's interesting to see how the older artists were performing with so much energy and passion. I think their heart is really in the preservation of their culture."
In front of the Tongguan Museum, the students are also treated to a different style of laoqiang, called the Yellow River Laoqiang, that originated from the work songs of boatmen at the river docks.
Unlike the previous performance delivered by veteran inheritors, the two performances, centered respectively on local food and traffic safety, are given by a group of small children from the Tongguan Yellow River Laoqiang Children's Troupe.
According to director of the troupe, Yao Miaorong, the group was founded in 2017 with the support of the local government and joined by children aged between 3 and 6 from nearby kindergartens.
So far, more than 400 children have participated and received instructions from experienced inheritors, and the troupe has reached its sixth iteration.
"We have incorporated the opera style into our kindergarten curriculum, which means that we combine the art form and Tongguan's regional culture with the teachings of language, art, science and other subjects, in ways that can interest and engage the children," Yao says.
"Our aim is to encourage the children to love and pass on our traditional culture, help children learn about their hometown, and eventually support its development when they grow up."
Comparing the laoqiang performances given by inheritors and children, Chawinga says that he can see how culture is being passed down the generations.
"As young people, we don't normally relate to what people in the past enjoyed doing, but I can see that these children are interested in preserving the culture. I think that, in the long run, a greater number of young people will be interested in participating in these cultural activities," Chawinga says.
On the journey, both the Chinese and international students mixed and mingled, exchanging their cultural knowledge and improving on their language skills.
"This program has been a great opportunity for me to develop my communication skills, although there is still much more room for improvement," says Yan Kelin, a student of English from Weinan Normal University.
"Meanwhile, I have come to realize that English is merely a tool. In order to better introduce our regional culture to international visitors, I need to acquire more skills and deepen my understanding of my hometown in all aspects, such as its culture, history and ecology."
Wu Jie, another student from Weinan Normal University, describes the trip as a delightful journey, upon which she made friends with young people from diverse cultural backgrounds and broadened her cultural knowledge.
"Every time we visited a scenic spot, the international students were curious about the culture and history behind them, and I would do some research and explain it to them, while they also shared their knowledge about their own countries' culture with me," Wu says.
The friendships she formed will continue into the future, she says, as they have exchanged social media accounts, and she has promised to help the international students with any questions they may have about the Chinese language.
"During this trip I also gained fresh perspectives and knowledge about the cultural history of Weinan," Wu says.
"After graduation, I will probably work in a field related to foreign languages, and hope to have the opportunity to continue promoting our Chinese culture overseas," she adds.
