Latin American Guests Experience Chinese Culture in Changsha

A group of 30 foreign guests from Latin American countries visited the Hunan (Changsha) Experience Hall of Fostering a Strong Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation on June 23. They participated in intangible cultural heritage experiential activities, alongside more than 20 intangible cultural heritage inheritors and dozens of Changsha elementary school students. These hands-on events provided the guests with an opportunity to gain insight into the charm of Chinese culture. 

The 30 guests were attendees of the Senators' Seminar of Latin American Countries. The seminar was hosted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the Ministry of Commerce. 

Photo/Shang Guangju

The seminar attendees viewed Chinese historical scroll paintings including a fresco depicting all ethnic groups of the Chinese nation jointly creating Chinese civilization. Later on, they came to an intangible cultural heritage exhibition area and tried their hand at various traditional skills. These included traditional oil extraction through wooden equipment, tie-dying, paper-cutting, movable-type printing, and shadow play. 

At the oil mill, the foreign visitors eagerly took turns grinding the mill. At a stilted building, the senators enjoyed interacting with girls from the ethnic group. At the Hunan embroidery-themed cultural creative products area, they showed great interest in a panda embroidery work with AR animation effect. At the paper-cutting experience area, they eagerly lined up to have their silhouettes cut by a skilled inheritor of the traditional handicraft. Many senators also cheerily asked their accompanists to take photos of themselves and their works, and they were amazed by the exquisite skills involved in traditional Chinese handicrafts.

"It is my first visit to China, and I am deeply impressed by the face-changing performance, and China has done a great job in cultural inheritance," said Juan Jose ROJAS FRANCO, a senator from the Dominican Republic, adding that it is very gratifying to see many Chinese children are experiencing the traditional culture. 

Subsequently, the guests visited the Hunan (Changsha) Experience Hall of Fostering a Strong Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation. The visit allowed them to experience a strong national unity of China and marvel at the profoundness of Chinese culture.

Inviting foreign guests to visit the Hunan Yuhua Intangible Cultural Heritage Hall is a tangible demonstration of Hunan's efforts to actively spread traditional Chinese culture and share the story of Hunan with the world. The study tour allowed foreign guests to gain a deeper and more direct understanding of Hunan's cultural heritage and the inclusiveness, openness, and harmony of Chinese civilization. This initiative will help promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Latin American countries, creating opportunities for future friendly cooperation.