In mild drizzle and gentle breeze, 30 international students of Liaoning Petrochemical University paid a greatly-anticipated visit to the Liaoning Provincial Museum on June 9, launching a “dialogue” across time and space with the national treasures in Liaoning.
Just a few days ago on June 5, Liaoning International Communication Centre held a sharing meeting of “National Treasures in Liaoning, A Feast for International College Students” at Liaoning Petrochemical University, which received wide acclaim among the international students. They were interested in every single cultural relic of large-scale and omnimedia project National Treasures in Liaoning and expressed strong wishes to appreciate the national treasures in the museum in person. This was how this “improvised” trip to the museum came about.
On the day of the trip, the international students who went on the trip were from more than 10 countries, such as Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Nigeria and so forth. They visited the exhibition of “Ancient Liaoning”, the exhibition of the guqin culture titled “The Clear and Melodious Music”, the exhibition of the cultural relics of the Huangwa Kiln in Haicheng titled “Where Can Coloured Glaze be Found” and other exhibitions.
Magdalena Bwire, an international student from Tanzania was mesmerized by the blue and white porcelain items of the Yuan Dynasty on display. She stood in front of the blue and white porcelain items and looked closely at the porcelain for quite a while and kept taking photos. Standing in front of the large map of the Silk Road, Magdalena Bwire introduced to other students how the porcelain of China spread to Europe and Africa along the Silk Road.
Khasan, who attended the sharing meeting of “National Treasures in Liaoning, A Feast for International College Students”, finally realized his dream, namely appreciating the national treasures at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in person. In the exhibition hall of “Ancient Liaoning”, he saw the Jade Pig-shaped Dragon, a cultural relic introduced in a short video of National Treasures in Liaoning. It is a piece of jade ware that is chicken-bone white all over. Its body is curled up and its head and tail are connected. The head of the dragon is finely and vividly sculpted. It is one relatively large in size and most formal in shape and material among the known Hongshan jade pig-shaped dragons. The guide of the Liaoning Provincial Museum introduced the Jade Pig-shaped Dragon and the history of Hongshan Culture to the international students, which Khasan listened to attentively. When he learned that this was a cultural relic from 5, 500 years ago, he moved closer to the glass showcase again to appreciate the consummate carving craftsmanship of Chinese ancestors.
Applah Priscilla, an international student from Ghana, stood at the centre of the exhibition hall and took a panoramic photo with her phone. “This museum is mind-blowing! So many exhibition halls and collections! It is an impossible mission to finish visiting all of them in one day”, exclaimed she. Influenced by the sharing meeting of “National Treasures in Liaoning, A Feast for International College Students”, she has developed rich interest in the cultural relics and history of Liaoning. Now she is planning her next trip to the museum.
