In Yilianna’s recent class at the Confucius Institute at Irkutsk State University in Russia, her students were captivated by a glazed pottery figurine of a dancing horse from the Tang Dynasty in China. Accompanied by vivid and vivacious scene representation, melodious and lively music, as well as poetic and romantic narrative, the glazed pottery figurine of a dancing horse in the video danced rhythmically to music, representing the glamour and grace of the Tang Dynasty in its prime.
The short video played by the Russian teacher Yilianna is “Glazed Pottery Figurine of Dancing Horse”, an episode from the series of short videos titled National Treasures in Liaoning. Through the extensive use of 3D scanning techniques and animation special effects, the Chinese cultural relic in the video is enlivened, which earned students’ admiration that “cultural relics can also be so fashionable and trendy”!
This short video is selected from the large-scale and omnimedia project National Treasures in Liaoning launched by Liaoning Media Group. The series of short videos of National Treasures in Liaoning selects 30 national treasures unearthed or collected in Liaoning. Various methods such as original hand-drawn paintings and 3D animation are extensively used to restore historical scenes and to enliven and animate the cultural relics. They present a visual feast for the audience at home and abroad, enable the audience to perceive, appreciate and comprehend the beauty of Chinese cultural relics, and naturally guide the audience to experience the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture.
“The national treasures in Liaoning fascinated me greatly”. “Through watching the series of short videos of National Treasures in Liaoning, I learnt about the stories behind the cultural relics, which further stimulated my interest in knowing more about Chinese culture and learning Chinese”, said Andelie, a student of the Confucius Institute at Irkutsk State University. “The ancient cultural relics in Liaoning are not only aesthetically breathtaking but also the crystallization of the Chinese wisdom and Chinese spirit. They are absolutely worth appreciating.” “Given the opportunity, I would love to visit Liaoning and experience the splendid culture and long history there”, said Kajia, a student.
These short videos, each several minutes in length, take students and teachers on a journey back in time to appreciate the unique charm of Chinese culture. They also make the Chinese lessons livelier and more interesting at the Confucius Institute. “I am so glad that I watched National Treasures in Liaoning together with my students in my own class. The interesting image of the glazed pottery figurine of a dancing horse and the story behind the cultural relic motivated us to delve deeper into Chinese culture and stimulated students’ enthusiasm to learn Chinese”, said Yilianna.
“The reason for our organizing students to watch the series of short videos of National Treasures in Liaoning is that we hope to use representative cultural relics in Liaoning as a medium to meet the wishes of young overseas students to learn about China and Chinese culture”. Zhang Donghui, the Chinese dean of the Confucius Institute at Irkutsk State University and a professor at Liaoning University, explained “The videos allow cultural relics to appeal to people’s feelings and empathy, and to tell their own stories. They have motivated more overseas students to gain a deeper understanding of the history of Liaoning and Chinese culture. Many students have expressed a desire to visit Liaoning, appreciate its cultural relics, and even study there. This video-watching activity is meaningful.”
The Confucius Institute at Irkutsk State University is a joint venture between Liaoning University and Irkutsk State University in Russia. It is the first Confucius Institute that Liaoning University has jointly run overseas. The institute has long been committed to promoting the Chinese language internationally. It takes an active part in holding a variety of activities to introduce Chinese culture and has thus become a vital platform of cultural and people-to-people exchanges between Russia and China.