Amidst the lush and verdant trees on Shenyang Normal University’s campus in early summer, a group of international students, who had just finished their classes, were on their way to participating in a unique cultural activity. On May 10, the sharing session titled “National Treasures in Liaoning: A Feast for International College Students” was launched here.

In the multimedia classroom of College of International Education, large posters printed with the exquisite cultural relics and activity theme on both sides of the stage immediately caught the eyes of the audience. On the stage, the intriguing promotional video of National Treasures in Liaoning was played repeatedly on the large screen. “The large-scale and omnimedia project National Treasures in Liaoning launched by Liaoning Media Group has received wide acclaim at home and abroad. Today, we will present National Treasures in Liaoning to the international students of Shenyang Normal University. Through this activity, we aim to deepen international students’ understanding of Liaoning’s long history and rich culture and encourage them to share these stories of national treasures with their family and friends back home.”Before the official start of the activity, Zhang Wei, the dean of College of International Education, Shenyang Normal University, said that “we also hope that these cultural relics will let people recognize the richness and inclusiveness of Chinese culture, have a better understanding of China, and fall in love with China”.

After watching the episode “Jade Pig-shaped Dragon: Dragons Rise from Liaohe River”, Zhang Song, the creator in chief of National Treasures in Liaoning, delivered a special lecture titled “Hongshan Culture, the Dawn of Civilization” to over 30 international students from over 10 countries on the site. At a relaxing pace, he introduced the origin and geographical distribution of Hongshan Culture as well as its status in the Chinese civilization, focusing mainly on various kinds of jade ware characteristic of Hongshan Culture such as the jade pig-shaped dragon. Students listened to the lecture with relish, sometimes took out their cellphones to film short videos and posted them in their WeChat Moments. In the Q&A session, the enthusiastic students took an active part in answering the host’s questions. Those who answered the questions correctly were rewarded with exquisite cultural and creative products.

“There are many historical sites and cultural relics in my hometown Jaipur. When I heard that the sharing session ‘National Treasures in Liaoning’ was to be held at Shenyang Normal University, I was the first one to sign up for the activity”, said Dilip, an international student from India. “I really like Chinese culture. Cultural relics are the evidence of a country’s long history. The history, culture and spirit of a country can be shown through its cultural relics. I really learned a lot from today’s activity”. Before coming to China, SUNGJUN OH, an international student from South Korea, had saw pictures of the jade pig-shaped dragon and read introductions to Hongshan Culture. “Today’s sharing session was a really excellent experience. The ‘animated’ cultural relic in the short video and the teacher’s explanation gave me a deeper understanding of Hongshan Culture. Given the opportunity, I would definitely love to appreciate the jade pig-shaped dragon in person at the Niuheliang Archaeological Site Museum”, said SUNGJUN OH. “Every single item of the Hongshan jade ware is breathtakingly gorgeous. They are not only ingenious in shape but also profound in meaning. They are the crystallization of the Chinese ancestors’ wisdom. I also answered the teacher’s questions correctly, so I got the exquisite cultural and creative souvenirs. I absolutely like them”, said Kseniia, an international student from Russia.

I am a huge fan of National Treasures in Liaoning myself. I have watched every single episode of these 30 short videos and strongly recommended them to international students”, said Cui Ningning, the office director of College of International Education, Shenyang Normal University. “Today’s activity is a beneficial experiment in telling the stories of China and Liaoning well to international students in the new era, which will broaden their horizon and stimulate their enthusiasm for learning Chinese. Many students have sent me WeChat messages afterwards, asking ‘When is the next activity going to take place’?”

The series of activities of “National Treasures in Liaoning, A Feast for International College Students” will continue to take place at various universities in Liaoning Province, to enhance the capacity of omni-media coverage and international communication of National Treasures in Liaoning, and to tell the stories of China and Liaoning well to the world.