The creators were in Qin Opera costumes (Photo by China Youth Network reporter An Li)
Xi'an, November 23 (Youth.cn), (Reporter An Li) From the steaming Shaanxi cuisine “pita bread soaked in lamb soup", a Japanese guy found a soothing "Chinese flavor"; In the Datang ever-bright city, a Korean girl in Hanfu immersed herself in the Tang atmosphere...
The Xi'an culture exploration activity prior to the "Touching Civilization - Asian Youth Creator Conference" hosted by China Youth Daily, and organizeed by China Youth Network, the Cyberspace Administration of the Xi'an Municipal Party Committee, and the Xi'an Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League, was launched recently. Young creators from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia and China gathered in the ancient city of Xi’an to experience its historical and cultural heritage, appreciate its beautiful natural scenery, taste local cuisines, and use their cameras to record and tell the infinite charm that Xi'an radiates.
Touching the history and feeling the new charm of the ancient city
"What was the ancient capital like in history? What is the fast-growing modern Xi’an like now?" With such questions, the young creators came into a close contact with Xi'an.
From the bustling and gorgeous Tang Paradise to the Shaanxi History Museum that carries weighty history, from Qin Opera and shadow play to pita bread soaked in lamb soup and biangbiang noodles, from the historical and cultural landscapes to ordinary people's families, they looked, listened and felt with heart.
"If you don't listen to Qin Opera, you don't know about Shaanxi, and if you don’t come to Yisushe, you don't know about Qin Opera." The rough, simple and bold ancient tune of Qin Opera is an inevitable part of Xi'an. In the century-old Qin Opera institute "Yisushe", the creators enjoyed the performance of Qin opera classic repertoire, and the actors' vigorous and upright singing, difficult movements and vivid expressions drew repeated applause from the creators. Immersing themselves in the charm of Qin Opera, the creators put on Qin Opera costumes and walked onto the stage to learn the actions and shake the long sleeves of the costumes after the performance.
At the Shaanxi History Museum, young creator LEE ZI YING from Singapore discovered that the cultural relics here were displayed in a different style. "Aggrieved" comedian figurines, "stunned" pottery figurines, and drumming & rapping figurines with a "wrinkled smile"... These cultural relics in the museum are affectionately referred to by the audience as "museum eye-catchers" due to their vivid shape, funny sense, and eye-catching features. "These cultural relics seem to have expressions, and the ancient and serious ones instantly become lively. The weighty history has been converted into fascinating stories, and I want to learn more about the history of Xi’an," said LEE ZI YING.
Converting from "filming Xi'an" to "loving Xi'an"
In his reply letter to foreign young representatives of the "International Young Leaders Dialogue" program, President Xi Jinping wrote: "We welcome more international young people to come to China for exchanges, and hope that Chinese and foreign young people can enhance understanding, gain friendship and grow together through mutual learning, contributing their strengths to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind." President Xi's important address has pointed out the way forward and established a guide for action for us to unite young people, strengthen international communication capacity building, better serve exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
This event presents a different Xi’an and a different China to young Asian creators.
"Xi'an trains run under the city wall of Xi'an, and no matter where Xi'an people go, they can't go without pita bread soaked in lamb soup." As sung in the "Song of Xi'an People", no matter where they travel, their love for pita bread soaked in lamb soup has never been reduced. As a business card of Xi'an taste, pita bread soaked in lamb soup has gained many "fans from other places".
To eat a bowl of authentic pita bread soaked in lamb soup, you have to start from breaking the buns, which often takes one or two hours. Young Japanese creator NISHIDA RYOTA was once puzzled by the time-consuming process. However, after being exposed to the production process, he gradually understood some of the tricks involved. "The bun must be broken a little smaller, if it is too big, the broth cannot be sucked in, affecting the taste. You can't play with your phone when you're breaking buns, so you may just concentrate on chatting with your friends." NISHIDA RYOTA believes that this represents a serious attitude and social habit of the locals towards food.
At the Wang's Shadow Puppet Studio, the shadow puppetry works with exquisite and unique designs, delicate carvings, vivid and clear lines, and gorgeous colors have left Cambodian creator SOEURNG CHANTHOL stunned and amazed. Under the guidance of Dang Feihua, an inheritor of shadow puppetry from the post-2000s generation, SOEURNG CHANTHOL immersed herself in the production of shadow puppetry, gained a deep understanding of the ancient handicrafts of the intangible cultural heritage, and fully appreciated the inexplicable charm of China's excellent traditional culture.
In the evening, the pedestrian street of Datang ever-bright city is lit up, and among the bustling crowd, there are tourists dressed in Tang costumes and Hanfu from time to time. Performances full of Han and Tang charm continue to unfold. KIM HWARI, a young creator from South Korea, felt that walking here is like walking through the splendid Chang'an of thousands of years ago. "Wearing Tang costumes and Hanfu to visit the ancient city of Xi'an has become a new way to travel in Xi'an, where traditional culture and fashion trends collide deeply."
In the testimonials of foreign young people, keywords such as "love Xi'an" and "love China" frequently appear. LEE ZI YING said: "This activity has deepened my understanding of Chinese culture. Every one of our participants fell in love with Xi'an and China."
Experiencing Xi'an through the lens not only allows young Asian creators to see a simple, beautiful, open and vibrant thousand-year-old capital, but brings opportunities for Chinese and foreign young people to learn and communicate. The creators helped each other and gained precious friendships during the activities.
A total of 30 young creators from 14 Asian countries, including China, were invited to the event, and the preliminary culture exploration activities were held simultaneously in 5 cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Guizhou, Chengdu and Xi'an. Through activities such as culture exploration, video creation, and conference exchanges, young people will deepen their understanding of China and impression of Chinese civilization.
