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Grade 10: Week of Chinese Culture

December 22, 2016

Grade 10: Week of Chinese Culture

On the morning of December 20th, Grade 10 non-native Chinese students embraced traditional Chinese culture through coloring patterns used in architectures, clothes and utensils and building models of Chinese architecture.

All students were divided into 2 groups beforehand; one put in the room for coloring patterns, and the other in the room for reassembling models. Before they actually began to color the patterns, the teacher showed them pictures of architectures, utensils and clothes to allow students to get a firsthand impression. Patterns of the auspicious dragon and phenix, vine pattern on blue and white porcelain and various flowers blossoming gave students some idea of the style and coloration of the original patterns and the intention of the artists. With these prerequisite knowledge in mind, students can freely tap their creativity now. After the introduction, students executed every stroke with the whole picture of the finished work in mind already. As the previously austere black and white pictures got covered by patches of colors either in harmony or in stark contrast with each other, the lions, birds, flowers and beast masks looked more and more as if someone instilled life in them. This activity serves multiple functions: First and foremost, through actually engaging themselves in the process of artistic creation, students were doing exactly the same thing as ancient artists did, though different media perhaps, which enables them to truly sense the genius of the artists and the hardships they had encountered; second, students are now able to recognize different patterns and know about their functions.

There’s also a short lecture by the teacher in the group doing model assembling. The teachers introduced to the students some representative traditional Chinese architectures, like the Temple of Heaven， the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Suzhou Gardens, after which students can’t wait to make their own houses. We offered students different styles of architecture, like the quadrangle dwelling, the Yellow Crane Tower, sailing boat of Ming Dynasty and shops for students to choose from. To make these small particles connected as a whole, first, students should have a holistic understanding of the architecture and how mortise and tenon join, and also patience. Through teamwork, soon, the 10th graders made one building after another stand up very soon. This activity deepened students’ understanding of the function of different parts of Chinese architecture and their understanding of the art of traditional Chinese architectures.

Chinese people believe one should put what one learnt into practice. In this activity, students indeed have put what they have learnt into practice!

(Written by Di Hu Picture by Zhenzhen Dai et al.)