On June 12th, went to Ni Shan Academy of Rizhao Municipal Library and the Gaoxin Community of Xianghe Street in Donggang District were 9 foreign visitors from eight countries, including German, Spanish, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Zambia, India and Pakistan. They felt the attraction of traditional Chinese culture through Han Chinese clothing, touhu (an ancient ceremony and game) and calligraphy. They also participated in traditional customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, like making Zongzi (traditional Chinese rice-pudding) and sachets in traditional Chinese style. The above belonged to the opening ceremony of the “custom culture experience”, the second part of “foreign friends in Rizhao”.
In the Ni Shan Academy, with the guidance of stuff members, foreign visitors admired traditional clothes and ceremony, touhu, woodblock printing technique, calligraphy and tea ceremony. They experienced by themselves the profound and attractive Chinese culture with all aspects in a journey to the past.
In the Gaoxin community of Xianghe street, the foreign friends could participate in traditional customs after a brief guidance by inhabitants. They selected sticky rice, washed and folded reed leaves and tied to make a zongzi as well as used needles and strings, filled with spice and sewed to make sachets to take part in the celebration of the festival and feel the attraction of Chinese culture.
“It feels different to wear Han Chinese clothing. I’ll share the photo of me in this clothes and my experience to more friends.”, said an excited Spanish teacher from Rizhao Yaohua International School. She also said, “After participating in the experience activity of traditional Chinese culture in Rizhao Municipal Library, I like this beautiful city more and have a better understanding and more love for traditional Chinese culture.”
“I have been in Rizhao for two years. This has been my first time to take part in customs of the Dragon Boat Festival. I choose to make a traditional Chinese sachet because it’s beautiful and meaningful. By sewing and putting in dried leaves of Folium Artemisiae Argyim, I can make a cloth into a Chinese sachet to prey for safety and health.”, said Benjamin, a foreign student from Zambia. He also said to reporters with a smile, “Just pay attention not to be pricked by a needle.”
Wang Li, deputy director and member of leading party group of the foreign affairs department of Rizhao Municipal Government, said, “The Dragon Boat Festival is arriving, the foreign affairs department organize foreign friends to participate in the custom cultural experience activities to enable them to feel the profound Chinese culture, changes and development after China’s reform and opening-up and the happy life of citizens in Rizhao, which is our way to tall Chinese story well and let China’s voice to be heard, so as to show foreign friends a real and three-dimensional China in all aspects.”