Auther：2025-03-29
On the afternoon of March 28, the International Cooperation and Exchange Office (ICEO) meticulously planned and organized a unique Chinese lantern culture lecture and hands-on experience activity for over 80 international students. The event was co-hosted by Ms. Wang Meifang, an intangible cultural heritage inheritor of Chinese lanterns, and Guo Rongmei, Director of the Basic Teaching Department (International Cooperation and Exchange Office).
In the pre-event preparation, Ms. Wang and ICEO staff collaborated to create beautiful bilingual Chinese-English PPTs. Using vivid images of lanterns, they guided students through a historical journey—from the folk origin of lighting lamps to worship gods in the Han Dynasty, to the splendid lantern scenes described in Tang and Song poems like The east wind blows, and thousands of flowers bloom at night, and finally to the living inheritance of intangible cultural heritage skills empowered by modern technology. This brief overview of Chinese lantern culture unfolded like a short history of lantern aesthetics, laying a knowledge foundation for students to appreciate the essence of Chinese lantern traditions.
During the hands-on experience session, Ms. Wang demonstrated the traditional Chinese lantern-making techniques live, from the precise nine-part force needed to bend bamboo strips to the rhythmic breathing required for pasting silk fabric. International students followed her instructions and tried their hands at making lanterns, deeply experiencing the core philosophy of Eastern craftsmanship—harmony between humanity and nature—through the meticulous process of a thousand labors for one lantern. Moli, a Russian student, commented after completing his rabbit-shaped lantern: Every bamboo strip tells a story of civilizational dialogue—this is more vivid and intuitive than any textbook! Three students on site were also fortunate to receive Qinhuai Lantern Fair exhibits as rewards from Ms. Wang.
This event is an important part of the college’s cultural experience program for international students. By integrating theoretical teaching with skill inheritance, it helps students transform from cultural observers to cultural ambassadors. The college will continue to build its Intangible Cultural Heritage + international education brand, innovating the international communication of Chinese culture from a youth perspective, showcasing Eastern wisdom, and promoting exchanges and integration between Chinese and foreign cultures.
