On 28th and 29th December, the second lectures of theGrade 6 Chinese HistorySeries, “Exchange and Encounters—Adventures along the Silk Road,”were held successfully in the theater at the Zhongxing Building.

The purpose of the lecture is to take stories of the Silk Road as a starting point and guide students to actively explore the hardships and efforts of previous generations to develop the road of exchange, discover the historical sparks of the intersection of different civilizations, consider how foreign interactions triggered the development of the world and what roles China played in the process, and finally understand the importance of staying open and innovative.

The speaker, Ms. Yu Manqing, created an immersive museum tour and set up a series of exhibition situations, bringing the students a historical feast of the Silk Road journey. At the beginning of the lecture, the students successfully answered all the questions raised by the museum guardian Ms. Yu and obtained the key to the beautiful night of the museum. A great show was about to start as the door opened. Thirteen grade six students were invited to participate in the preparation of the lecture, and as guests, they played the roles of a merchant, a messenger, a monk, an ambassador, an emperor, a giraffe, etc. They told their Silk Road adventures on the land or over the sea routes in the two separate parts. The audience listened carefully to the stories and experienced the pains and joys of the journey while capturing valid information as the answers to the questions for moving on to the next part. In the final part of the lecture, students followed Ms. Yu’s interpretation. They used fundamental methods of historical research to analyze different cultural artifacts that incorporate elements of Chinese and foreign civilizations, based on what they had learned in the lecture. Ms. Yu also showed the students the rich cultural heritage left behind by the Silk Road journey. They were encouraged to use their knowledge of Silk Road history for cultural integration and re-creation in contemporary society. Towards the end of the lecture, the students shared their understanding of the Silk Road using keywords and left their new knowledge and feelings on the message wall outside the theater.

The success of the lecture would not have been possible without the dedication and support of teachers from the history and geography department and the middle school section. We wish that the students, inspired by the lecture series, will take the initiative to go out of the traditional classroom and visit the museums, explore the development process of human history on their own, and feel the enthusiasm and vitality of historical heritage. Let’s look forward to more colorful history activities together.

(Written by Yu Manqing Pictures by Huang Shiyuan, Ginger Edited by Huang Shiyuan, Brie Polette)