The campus of Shenyang Aerospace University was covered with lush and verdant greenery in early summer. On May 12, rounds of applause and frequent exclamations of admiration were heard in the Qingyang Garden of Books of the library. The sharing meeting of “National Treasures in Liaoning, A Feast for International College Students” was taking place here.

In the quaint Qingyang Garden of Books, the mysterious large-scale theme publicity posters were placed on both sides, alluring the international students of International Education College, Shenyang Aerospace University to have a look or take photos. These students were from 10 countries, including Russia, Iran, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and so forth. Some of the newcomers were in Shenyang for only two months, but they had heard about the long history of Liaoning. They were quite curious and full of expectations.

More than 20 international students attended the sharing meeting of “National Treasures in Liaoning, A Feast for International College Students”. They first watched a short video titled “Clay Facial Sculpture of the Hongshan Goddess, The ‘Common Ancestor’ of the Chinese Nation”, an episode from the series of short videos of National Treasures in Liaoning. The “animated” ancient cultural relic in the video was invigorated in modern times, which won exclamations of admiration from the students on the site. Then, Zhang Song, the creator in chief, explained the origin and characteristics of the clay facial sculpture of the Hongshan goddess as well as its meaning in Hongshan Culture in an easy-to-understand approach. Immersed in the rich Chinese cultural atmosphere, students from different countries listened exceptionally attentively and in earnest. They also took out their cellphones from time to time and photographed the excellent content on the PPT.

In the Q&A session, students raised their hands enthusiastically to answer questions and the atmosphere on the site was very lively and vibrant. The winners, who answered correctly the questions related to cultural relics in their newly-learned Chinese, were awarded the themed cultural and creative products of “National Treasures in Liaoning”. Their young faces broke into joyous smiles. After the activity, several students crowded around Mr. Zhang Song, reluctant to leave and full of questions: “What material are the eyes of the statute of the goddess made of?”, “What is the purpose or role of the statue of the goddess?”, “Why is she called a goddess?” Zhang Song patiently answered every one of the series of questions posed by these international students.

Through this sharing meeting, many international students yearned more for the mysterious and enticing Hongshan Culture. Jin Zhou from Nigeria reflected with relish after the lecture: “Through today’s activity, I have had a deeper understanding and recognition of the culture and history of Liaoning. I have become more interested in the cultural relics of Liaoning. During the holiday period, I will go to appreciate the earliest ‘goddess’ of China at the Niuheliang Archaeological Site Museum. ”Throughout the lecture, Li Ai from Iran was taking notes and expressed frequent admirations of “I have learned so much”. “China and Iran are both globally renowned countries with ancient civilizations. There were frequent trade exchanges along the Silk Road in history. I will learn more about the history and culture of China during my study, particularly about Hongshan Culture, because it is so mysterious and stunning”, said Li Ai.

“After the series of short videos of National Treasures in Liaoning was launched, many teachers and students of our university have become your loyal audiences. The international students of Shenyang Aerospace University are very curious about the regional culture of Liaoning. The activity of ‘National Treasures in Liaoning, A Feast for International College Students’ provided an excellent opportunity for international students to access the cultural relics of Liaoning closely and to learn about the culture of Liaoning”, said Xin Bin, the Party branch secretary of International Education College, Shenyang Aerospace University. “This activity included both showcasing cultural relics and interactive discussion, which transformed international students’ curiosity about the unknown and novelty into cultural appreciation in a real sense. It demonstrated the unique charm of Chinese culture through showcasing the beauty of cultural relics. Just now several students told me that they were planning a group tour to visit the museums in Liaoning Province during the holiday to appreciate more national treasures of Liaoning”, said Zhang Pu, a teacher of International Education College, Shenyang Aerospace University.