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History and Geography Department: The Glory and The Dream —The Stories Chinese Relics Tell

September 30, 2021

On 28th and 29th September, the Grade 6 Chinese History lectures “The Glory and The Dream—The Stories Chinese Relics Tell” were held successfully in the theater at the Zhongxing Building.

Students noticed the relic cards in front of their seats when they came into the theater and became excited as they exchanged information on their cards, eager to know what these cards would be used for. This was a key part of the lecture, and as the lecture started, seven students and one teacher with the corresponding cards on the screen were the lucky audiences who got the chance to open the blind boxes which contain the replica of relics inside. The lecturer, Ms. Chen Lu, had designed this session for students to reconstruct, in a sense, the thrilling moments of the archaeologists during the excavation.

China has a long-lasting history and culture, with many relics behind by our ancestors in their social activities that contain wonderful stories about the glory and dreams within China. Among the many relics, Ms. Chen Lu had carefully selected seven representative relics: Sanxingdui Bronze Head, Oracle Bones, He Zun, Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng, Terracotta Kneeling Archer, Buddhism Statue from Longxing Temple, and Maid Figure of Tang. She introduced the story behind each relic in detail, leading everyone to go back into the past and listen to the voice of history.

In addition to a wealth of historical knowledge, this lecture places great emphasis on developing students’ literacy in the subject of history. Taking formal history classes for the first time, it is important for students to learn how to analyze historical materials, think critically, and then form their own personal opinions. Ms. Chen helped the students to build a broad framework of the seven elements of civilization, introduced the three-step method of historical analysis as a learning tool, took the students through a multidimensional presentation of videos, pictures and sounds, and inspired them to explore and discover the historical information carried in the cultural relics and actively shared their observations and thoughts.

The lecture culminated with the sixth grade history teachers taking on the role of guardians of China’s cultural heritage. Either spoke or performed, they prompted the students on the relics they were guarding and demonstrate to them how to best guard the relics. After the lecture, the students also got their own relic to guard, and they will conduct independent learning by collecting historical materials, presenting heritage stories, and developing action plans to be a good guardian of relics!

After the lecture, the students spoke freely and left their thoughts on the message wall outside the theater. Through this lecture, students increased their understanding of Chinese culture, learned how to appreciate the splendid treasures of human civilization from multiple perspectives, and increased their interest in learning history. We hope that students will use their spare time to go to museums more often, visit cultural relics and monuments, and make history learning part of their daily lives. Every student has the responsibility and ability to be the guardian, inheritor, and creator of civilization, and this will be an effective way for them to become global citizens.

The success of this lecture could not have been possible without the dedication and support of the teachers of the history and geography department and the middle school section. For the teachers, it was also undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to experiment and explore how to promote Chinese culture and defend human civilization more vividly and lively. History is not over, and we are looking forward to more colorful history teaching activities together.

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