Museum treasures, regardless of their history and material, are a mirror to the wisdom of the ancient. Once valued and touched objects by their owners, they return to life the moment they were unearthed.
Through a series of performances, from Min fanglei vessel in Shang Dynasty around 3,000 years ago to Wangong Palanquin in modern history, Hiba Academy Hangzhou junior high students put on a show and travelled back in history to awakened the viewers’ cultural memory.
Cultural relics carry extensive information about a nation. More than pieces of cold objects, they tell stories that allow us to experience the history and savour traditional culture, be it exciting, soul-stirring or heart-rending. Through cultural relics, we learn. Our world-class cultural relics are a reflection of the ingenious skills and profound wisdom of our ancestors.
Students formed into seven groups and introduced seven cultural relics through brilliant performances. Some demonstrated the high standard of bronzeware manufactured in ancient China through Min fanglei, and some acted out the story of the revenge and revival of the State of Yue through the famous Sword of Goujian. Another piece of bronzeware named cloud-patterned Jin is a further example of the high-level manufacturing skills of a strong country. Other relics our students presented were: tiger-shaped fu, or a military tally, a symbol of the courage exerted by Lord Xinling from the State of Wei, who was known for taking the tally to save the State of Zhao from being engulfed by the State of Qin; the seven-stringed guqin called Caifeng Mingqi that can play fine traditional music of China; the Kesi Water Birds in a Lotus Pond, a masterpiece of Chinese silk tapestry; Wangong Palanquin, a mixture of the traditional and modern flavour that combines the artistic charm of east and west.
Chinese Social Studies at Hiba focuses on logical thinking and the comprehensive competence of our students. The National Treasure historical drama has sparked their interest in learning history and inspired their teamwork spirit. It allowed them to explore the cultural essence and celebrate their cultural roots. Let us find out how our students and parents felt about this activity.
There is a song that goes like this, ‘I take one look at you and I learn the history a thousand years ago. I dreamed about you tens of thousands of times and now I want to learn about you. You speak nothing but it is better than any words. Only you are honoured to depict how time flies’. It is important to safeguard our cultural relics because it is a way to show how much we value our history.
