Reported by Xinhua News Agency | 63 International Students from 33 Countries Visit Shaoguan, Guangdong: Perceiving Three Dimensional China in Rural Development
2024-10-25
In the golden autumn of October, the sky is high and the clouds are clear, and the cool breeze brings a refreshing feeling. It is a good season for going out for sightseeing and looking into the distance. From October 21st to 23rd, 63 international students from 33 countries including the United States, Russia, Georgia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc. came to the famous city of Shaoguan in northern Guangdong to carry out a three-day "Perceive China · Shaoguan 'Hundred, Thousand, Thousand Project'" study tour on this land with profound heritage, picturesque scenery, and outstanding people. They gained a deep understanding of local Chinese culture, experienced the new face of rural revitalization in China, and felt the strong pulse of China's high-quality development. The study tour group took a group photo to explore the green clouds and step into the natural paradise of "Nine Mountains, Half Water, Half Field" - Xinfeng County, located north of central Guangdong, is a typical mountainous county. It has no severe cold in winter and no scorching heat in summer, with undulating hills and lush greenery. It is an excellent place to enjoy mountain flowers in spring, cool breeze in summer, maple leaves in autumn, and step on ice and snow in winter. The Lingnan Red Leaf World on Qingyun Mountain in Xinfeng County is the first stop of this trip. The cool and refreshing mountain breeze here sweeps away the heat of late summer in Guangdong, making people feel refreshed and relaxed. As everyone climbed to the top of the mountain, it happened to be sunset. Looking around, the mountains stretched endlessly, shrouded in clouds and mist, and rose colored clouds layered and varied. Rows of maple trees were also dyed red by early autumn, creating a dreamlike picture of a fairyland. Walking on the "Sky Realm" on Guanri Ping, international students marveled at the beauty of China's mountains and rivers while constantly pressing the shutter button to record this rare scenery. Brazilian student Agnes also performed breakdancing under the sunset. Agnes (Brazil) showed the group photo of international break dancing students in Qingyun Mountain as a souvenir "The scenery here is so shocking!" "I enjoy the peace brought by this place.". Kendra, from Colorado, USA, expressed with emotion that she grew up in the Rocky Mountains and has mostly lived in cities since coming to China, rarely venturing into rural areas. The beautiful Qingyun Mountain reminded her of her hometown, making her feel familiar and warm, while the vastly different temperatures, vegetation, humidity, etc. between Qingyun Mountain and Rocky Mountain made her feel very fresh and interesting. Ihsan (Pakistan, right), Zahid (Pakistan, center), and Teddy (Zimbabwe, left) shared with reporters the joyful atmosphere of their visit to Mount Qingyun until nightfall. In order to welcome this group of energetic international friends, a grand bonfire party kicked off on Qingyun Mountain. The red bonfire was burning brightly, and the bright stars and moon were within reach. Everyone danced hand in hand around the flames, and several classmates even prepared a singing performance specifically for it. Sophie, a Zambian international student who led the singing of the song "Friends", won warm applause from the audience. She told reporters, "This Chinese song is very classic and beautiful. Singing my favorite song to learn Chinese gives me endless fun." Sophie (Zambia) sang "Friends" to empower the industry, innovate models, increase income, and become rich. Not far from Qingyun Mountain, there is an organic tea plantation with a tea planting area of 350 acres on the hillside in front of Chadong Village in Huangqi Town. This place is located between 710-1000 meters above sea level, surrounded by continuous mountains and lush vegetation. Although it is far away, it is not dry. Tea grows here, absorbs the essence of mountains, rivers and clouds, and tastes pure and sweet. On the second day of their trip, international students arrived early at the high mountain tea field with the morning sun and baskets in hand. Under the guidance of the tea plantation owner, they learned about the history of Chinese tea, tasted local famous tea from Shaoguan, personally experienced tea picking, tea making, and tea etiquette, and learned about the development status of the rural tea industry from planting, processing, production to sales. International students experience tea picking and tasting Chinese tea. Indian student Gandhrav and Iranian students Daliri and Donya all come from world-renowned tea producing countries. "In our country, people drink tea almost every day." After experiencing Chinese tea, they all expressed, "I really like it and hope to bring some Chinese tea to my family and friends to taste." Daliri also shared with reporters, "My grandmother's house has a small tea garden, and I have grown up with tea since childhood. Different tea varieties, picking and production methods, and brewing methods can provide different tasting experiences. I really like Chinese black tea," said Kevkhishvili from Georgia. First time visiting Shaoguan, first time experiencing Chinese tea culture, first time understanding the operation and development of the tea industry. This unforgettable experience not only broadened his horizons, but also made him firmly remember the beautiful city of Shaoguan, and he hopes to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. Kevkhishvili (Georgia) shares his experience in tea gardens. Shaoguan is located in the golden zone of tea production at 25 degrees north latitude, and has been an important tea production base in the Lingnan region since ancient times. More than 1200 years ago, the Tang Dynasty's Lu Yu's "Tea Classic" mentioned that "Lingnan tea is produced in Shaozhou, and its taste is excellent." In recent years, Shaoguan City has fully utilized its resource endowment, supported by technological innovation, opened up new channels and new ideas, optimized the entire industry chain from planting, processing, sales to agricultural tourism, and made "tea leaves" the "golden leaves" that promote rural revitalization, "millions of projects" and increase people's income. This has enabled Shaoguan tea brands and Chinese tea brands to better go global. The good articles of the "Hundred Thousand Thousand Project" are not only written in the tender green tea fields, but also in the competitive orchid sea. It is reported that in the modern agricultural industrial park in Wengyuan County, Shaoguan City, the planting area of orchids as the leading industry reaches 35000 mu, with an output value of over 3 billion yuan. This is the largest orchid planting area in the country, with orchid supply exceeding 60% of the national total. In 2020, orchids were also selected as the city flower of Shaoguan City. Entering the orchid greenhouse, colorful and graceful orchids are blooming in full swing. International students' eyes linger in the sea of flowers, and their mouths are filled with astonishment. International students not only appreciate orchids in greenhouses, but also the application of advanced technologies such as fully automatic sprinkler irrigation systems, integrated automatic control, and IoT remote monitoring in agriculture has made orchid planting management standardized, industrialized, and digitized. I know orchids are a species that requires careful cultivation and care, "said Elysia from the United States. On the picturesque banks of the Weng River in Shaoguan, there is a personal art museum designed by the American oil painting master Tu Zhiwei. The art museum is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces water on one side, like a piano embedded in the green mountains and water. Mr. Tu Zhiwei is a world-renowned oil painting master. In his decades long career, he has a great passion for artistic creation that showcases China's rich historical heritage through Western oil painting techniques. Entering the Tu Zhiwei Art Museum, Chinese historical figures, historical allusions, and beautiful scenery are vividly presented on paper, telling touching stories of China. I really enjoy painting, and the Tu Zhiwei Art Museum is the place that left the deepest impression on me during this journey. Agnes, from Brazil, lingered in front of a painting for a long time and was particularly immersed and intoxicated by it. Mr. Tu, through extraordinary imagination and skills, has portrayed characters and landscapes very delicately. "International students stopped to appreciate Mr. Tu Zhiwei's works. Mr. Tu Zhiwei has led American oil painters to Wengyuan County in Shaoguan many times to collect local scenery and Hakka customs, and introduced them to people on the other side of the ocean through his paintbrush, building a bridge for cultural exchange between China and foreign countries. Coincidentally, Kendra, an American international student who is also a painting enthusiast like Agnes, carefully recorded the flowers, birds, plants and trees in Shaoguan during this journey using the paintbrush he carried with him. She had a warm conversation with Mr. Tu Zhiwei during her visit to the art museum. Mr. Tu's works have touched my heartstrings very much, and I am pleasantly surprised and honored to meet him in person! "Mr. Tu Zhiwei warmly talked and took photos with international students. In addition to integrating modern art from both China and the West, as the" hometown of Guangfu ", Shaoguan has formed a unique Hakka culture with its unique geographical appearance and profound historical heritage, and the local ancient buildings are important witnesses to Shaoguan's historical and cultural heritage. Among them, Shaoguan has more than 470 preserved Hakka walled buildings, which are famous throughout the country for their largest number and unique taste. In order to enable international students to gain a deeper understanding of Hakka culture and uncover the veil of history through a series of "living fossils", Professor Tao Jin, doctoral supervisor of the School of Architecture at South China University of Technology, led a team to give a master class on the theme of ancient architecture in Shaoguan. The School of Architecture at South China University of Technology has always been committed to the protection of cultural heritage, and Professor Tao Jin's team has been involved in the protection of rural architectural heritage. Professor Tao Jin started with the historical evolution and personnel migration of Lingnan, and explained in a simple and profound way the important mission of Shaoguan, the "northern gateway of Guangdong", as a defensive pass, to facilitate transportation from all directions and connect the north and south. He also discussed the architectural structure, aesthetic features, main functions, cultural connotations, and current progress of revitalization work of various ancient pagodas and surrounding buildings in Shaoguan. Professor Tao Jin's introduction of the knowledge and insights gained in Shaoguan Ancient Architecture class to international students quickly came in handy. In the afternoon of that day, international students arrived in Shixing County, Shaoguan City, known as the "hometown of Chinese enclosed building culture", to visit the Hakka walled city. The Mantang Hakka Grand Wall has been well preserved to this day. It is the largest brick and tile structure building in Guangdong Province and an outstanding representative of the "square wall" in residential architecture. It is known as the "first wall in Lingnan" and is a national key cultural relic protection unit. Currently, the Mantang Hakka Grand Wall has become a benchmark case for innovative ways of protecting and revitalizing surrounding buildings. The local government is vigorously developing "surrounding buildings+tourism", "surrounding buildings+comprehensive services", and "surrounding buildings+creative industries", allowing ancient surrounding buildings to shine with new brilliance in the new era. Shuttling through the surrounding buildings and walking between the blue brick well platforms, it feels like crossing time and space, and establishing a deeper connection with Chinese folk culture. My motherland also has many castle style buildings, but when I saw the Hakka style buildings with my own eyes, I was still shocked by their construction methods. Danila from Russia told reporters that Hakka style buildings not only preserve ancient charm, but also continuously integrate modern aesthetic elegance in the long river of history, which amazed him. Danila (Russia), an international student, shared her feelings about visiting Mantang Hakka Dawei with Xinhua News Agency reporters. The Huxinba residential complex is also one of the most representative Hakka buildings in northern Guangdong. Located on the banks of the Incheon River, facing southwest to northeast, the Huxinba residential complex preserves 59 Hakka walled houses built during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and is known as the "number one Hakka village in northern Guangdong". Sara from Sudan carefully walked through every corner of the surrounding building, 'There are bedrooms, kitchens, and halls here.'
Edit：Chen Jie Responsible editor：Li Ling
Source：Outlook New Era
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