International students share stories of China's intangible cultural heritage and get awarded

International students from Tongji University have been awarded "The Star of Future" at the 2024 Global Awards for World Heritage Education.

"Panda Talking - International Students Telling Stories about China's Intangible Cultural Heritage" from the International School of Tongji University stood out at the 46th World Heritage Committee session, which was held in New Delhi, India, last month.

The "Global Awards for World Heritage Education" is organized by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific World Heritage Training and Research Center and the UNESCO Associated Schools Network Center. Its aim is to create an international interactive exchange platform that focuses on the co-construction and sharing of innovative models in world heritage education.

After four years of exploration and practice, the "Panda Talking" team, composed of a group of international students from around the world, has developed a replicable and scalable "Tongji Model" for international students to tell stories about Chinese intangible cultural heritage.

By setting a story class called "Walking and Exploring China," the "Panda Talking" team organizes international students to conduct on-site research, experiencing various intangible cultural heritage such as Chinese traditional medicine, traditional arts, and traditional customs.

Based on field research and practice at various cultural heritage sites, they also supplement the project with various intangible cultural heritage activities.

For instance, they host the "Intangible Cultural Heritage into Tongji" series of events, organize academic competitions including poetry contests for foreigners, calligraphy contests, and traditional Chinese medicine photography contests. These deepen international students' understanding and recognition of Chinese cultural heritage, and attract more international students to participate.

International students document the sparks of thought that ignite during these activities through articles and videos, disseminating them widely to audiences around the world in an appealing manner.

This is done through multilingual and multi-platform channels, enhancing the international community's understanding of Chinese cultural heritage and promoting Chinese culture. This represents yet another vivid initiative by international students at Tongji University to promote Chinese culture globally.