Shanghai university partners with Yuyuan Garden to promote Chinese culture globally

Shanghai International Studies University announced on Wednesday a new partnership with the management of Yuyuan Garden, a cultural landmark in Shanghai that welcomes visitors from around the world, to enhance the global promotion of Chinese culture.

The collaboration focuses on developing a Chinese culture translation database, a talent training program, and a practical teaching platform. They also jointly launched a collaborative innovation base for Chinese culture translation talent.

This upgraded partnership aims to systematically refine the cultural narratives of Yuyuan Garden, creating an expression system that remains true to its original meaning while being easily translatable for international audiences. By leveraging technology and multi-platform dissemination, the collaboration seeks to export Yuyuan Garden's cultural symbols with precision.

Wang Xin, vice-president of the university, emphasized that the partnership is a significant step in exploring new pathways for the creative transformation and innovative development of China's rich traditional culture. She expressed hope that this collaboration would provide a replicable model for enhancing the influence of Chinese civilization globally.

The practical collaboration between the two sides began in mid-2024. The Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation at the university formed a team of students and faculty who conducted field research at Yuyuan Garden, held seminars, and developed promotional materials, such as brochures, explanatory texts, and site introduction plaques. They also completed research on the garden's signage, landscape layout, and audio guide system.

Also, students from the team have actively participated in Yuyuan Garden's foreign affairs receptions, providing bilingual explanations that allow international guests to appreciate the beauty of the scenery and understand the cultural significance behind Chinese gardens.