As the spring sunlight poured over the lush gardens of the SHSID Lin’gang campus, the flora came to life in all its resplendent glory. As a sweet breeze blew the fragrance of freshly bloomed flowers over the campus, the students set out on the much-awaited annual classical and traditional education activities of SHSID — Chinese Culture Week. Lin’gang youngsters dressed up in ancient clothes, traveled to the ancient ferry, paired with ancestral poems, enjoyed time-honored music, and appreciated ancient wonders, talked about the past and the present with laughter and songs. The teachers in the Lin’gang Campus of SHSID pooled their wisdom, and while passing on the classics, they also remembered to develop and innovate to make the Chinese Culture Week in Lin’gang playful, fun and relatable so that all could learn together and create treasured memories. During the games and activities, students experienced the depth of Chinese traditional culture and the beauty of traditional Chinese cultural activities, with a contemporary take on ancient folk music, chess, calligraphy and painting.

Folk Music Conveys the Beauty of Chinese Culture

The crisp sound of plucked pipa strings sounded in the afternoon sun on Wednesday, breaking the tranquility in the elementary school building. A moment later, the resonance of a guzheng came out like a stream during the "New Rhythm of Ancient Style" event, jointly organized by the students of Shanghai High School International Division Lin’gang Campus and East Shanghai High School. It was a truly vibrant celebration of Chinese folk music, where children from the International Division played the pipa, and middle school students from the East High School performed classic pieces from the guzheng, flute and erhu. The students and teachers were able to experience the charm of traditional Chinese music with the interplay of folk music.

The Art of Chinese Chess Delivers Chinese Wisdom

On Wednesday afternoon, a long “Go” ring was set up in the second-grade hallway, with groups of young players facing off against each other. Along the hallway was table after table of chess players eager to match off and show their skills. Players yearned for more than a casual game, they wanted a battle of epic proportions. As they played, only the sound of pieces falling could be heard as the crowd watched on with anticipation. The older students from East High School came to judge, and with their background as former award-winning Go players, they were exceptional in their ability to fairly evaluate and keep score.

In the first-grade classroom, the young players were also seen holding the black and white pieces and playing a fierce game on the Go board, eager to show their abilities and test their strategies in real competition. Despite their age, the young chess players showed style. Among smiles, frowns, and even flying pieces, the first graders showed patience and perseverance. Calm and steady, they revealed the temperament of chess masters in every move.

Traditional Skills Perpetuate Chinese Craftsmanship

The Chinese Culture Week at Lin’gang Campus also brought traditional culture into the art classroom. The first graders experienced blue printing art. Under the guidance of their teachers they worked with natural materials to illustrate spring weather as their artwork blossomed on the mysterious blue paper. As you can see, when iron salt meets sunlight, with just a moment's rest, the children turned a flower or a fallen leaf into eternal beauty. The second graders got to experience the fun of making topiaries with their own hands in the art classroom. They followed the art teacher, spraying water, putting on paper, pounding topiary and inking until the pattern gradually appeared. Students received a fundamental understanding of the traditional art of topiary, which not only taught dexterity and critical thinking, but also played a positive role in promoting the inheritance and development of time-honored traditional culture. Looking at them in ancient costumes doing topiary, it was as if the students had traveled to the ancient past and were learning in a traditional school of ancestral times.

Chinese Painting Render the Beauty of China

SHSID teachers also instructed the children on Chinese classical landscape painting during art class, learning the methods and techniques used in painting “a thousand miles of rivers and mountains portraits.” When each child's carefully drawn work was laid out and displayed on the snow-white booth, each piece of exquisite artwork made visitors stop and admire. It was an awe inspiring sight, and a point of pride for students to see their creations displayed and admired by all. As the instructors coached students on traditional Chinese painting techniques, each student in the art class for elementary school had the unique opportunity to create beauty. First graders in Chinese class listened to the teacher tell stories about the Forbidden City, and also got the chance to illustrate the Forbidden City they have imagined on white cloth bags. The children became creative designers, and after all the work was done, teachers and students voted for the most beautiful "Forbidden City bag." It was a wonderous experience for everyone.

Thursday's Chinese Traditional Costume Day on campus was a breathtaking sight; with Chinese and foreign teachers, students and parents all coming to school in traditional Chinese attire. The children of the International Division held handmade bookmarks with flowers and leaves from the East High School campus on them and had a "flying flower game" with older students on campus. The eternal charm of Chinese poetry was quietly "flown" into hearts and minds of young students as they participated in the activities dressed up like scholars, monks, and princesses.

On this picturesque day in April, Dishui lake was filled with love and beauty for China and the historic culture that is held within. It is a week that will be remembered with smiling faces, the time together and experiences had continually etched in our minds.

Written by Xiaoting Shi

Pictures by Lin’gang Teachers

Edited by Serene Yang, Jonathan Woodcock