To mark the 70th anniversary of China-Africa diplomatic relations, the International School of the Libyan embassy in China held a cross-disciplinary cultural course series titled The Key to Curiosity, helping African teenagers better understand China.
The School of History at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences academically supports the course, and the National Museum of Chinese Writing and Multi Dimension Digital Lab jointly initiated it.
In the first month of the series, experts and scholars from the three institutions led students from various African countries at the school in studying nearly 20 oracle bone script characters. From form association and character-guessing games to brush writing, the students — despite having no prior Chinese-language background — completed their first dialogue with Chinese writing from more than 3,000 years ago, relying on shared visual imagination and curiosity.
Meanwhile, the students were asked to color a 4.5-meter-long scroll featuring ancient Chinese architecture and modern landmarks alongside traditional Libyan architecture and urban scenes. Working in teams, they completed a civilization dialogue that needed no translation through brushes and colors.
The course also organized a visit for the African youngsters to the Ethnic Clothing Museum of the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, which houses more than 10,000 items, including clothing, ornaments, textiles, batik and embroidery from China's ethnic groups.
During the visit, the guide explained everything from forms and pattern symbolism to brocade weaving and batik techniques. The students listened attentively and asked questions constantly, with some sketching the floral, animal and geometric motifs that have endured for millennia in brocade, embroidery and batik.
Sun Ning, head of Multi Dimension Digital Lab, said that from oracle bone script classes and scroll painting to museum visits, and to the use of digital technology to translate culture in an engaging way for young people to understand, cultural connections between China and Libya are extending to a younger and more everyday level.
"The series will continue to offer more themed content on traditional Chinese culture and the cultures of China's eight ancient capitals. By combining technology, art and traditional culture, we will continue to build a platform for exploration and exchange for Chinese and foreign young people, enabling more children to approach each other through curiosity and build connections through co-creation, sowing seeds for people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and other countries," Sun added.
