"When the copper drum meets the skyscrapers, what kind of spark will be created?"

This summer holiday, students from Guangdong and Guangxi provinces exchanged their "life experience cards". Shenzhen-Hong Kong students delved into the Zhuang ethnic areas in Guangxi province to learn the springboard shoe dance and play the thousand-year-old bronze drum, while children from Guangxi province entered the science and technology classrooms in Shenzhen. This "life exchange story" that crossed mountains and seas was so sweet and interesting for them!

In July, the teachers and students of Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School (PKXYS) and the students of Guangxi Donglan Shenzhen Longhua Primary School (an education project built with the assistance of Longhua District, Shenzhen) carried out a mutual visit and exchange activity across mountains and seas. Through field visits, cultural experiences, and in-depth interactions, the teenagers from both places not only broadened their horizons and deeply experienced the diverse folk customs and traditions of the motherland, but also jointly felt the pulse of the country's development in the "two-way trip" and cultivated a deep sense of patriotism and love for the country.

Zhuang Ethnic Village Tour - Sowing the Seeds of Patriotism and Family Affection in the Sound of Copper Drum

"When the welcome guest song rings out from the village entrance, men and women, young and old, are all in high spirits. Today, our distinguished guests arrive at our village, so all brothers and sisters are happy together." When the Zhuang ethnic group's "Welcome Guest Song" resounded on campus, the "two-way trip" between Shenzhen-Hong Kong students and Guangxi Donglan children officially kicked off. Through the mutual visit, the teenagers from both places experienced the diverse cultures of China with their hearts.

Donglan students, dressed in Zhuang ethnic costumes, were singing the "Welcome Guest Song".

At the Guangxi Donglan Shenzhen Longhua Primary School, which is built with the targeted assistance from Longhua District, Shenzhen, ethnic sports games such as cricket shoe racing and pearl ball greatly broadened the horizons of children from Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

"Look! Does my egg bag look like a little sun?" Student LI held up a handicraft woven with colourful silk threads. A Donglan teacher beside him smiled and taught him to tie a knot. "This is called a 'knot of unity', which, we all believe, can bind the connections between us."

Shenzhen-Hong Kong students were making handicrafts together with Donglan students.

The bronze drum of Ba Ying Village

The inheritor of intangible cultural heritage was leading the children to strike the bronze drum. 

The Zhuang ethnic customs and our collaborative achievements complemented each other. 

The legend of the "Frog Festival" and the clear water of Pohau Lake. 

A lively classroom that connects national culture with ecological protection.

Student XU said. "This is the first time that I have even seen the Zhuang people offering sacrifices to the Frog God. The scene is so astonishing! The sense of ceremony in every step was so impressive for me, and I felt as if I had also received blessings."

In the Lenin Rock and the WEI Baqun's Former Residence, the story of Red Army showed the glorious years of revolutionary struggles by all Chinese people from different ethnic groups; in the "Mutual Farming Club" vineyard built with the assistance of Longhua District, the visiting students tasted the grapes picked with their own hands; in the WEI Guoqing Memorial Hall, many old photos showed the journey of the people from different ethnic groups who joined hands with each other in the construction of a new China.

The students then entered some Zhuang ethnic families in the new immigrant region, sitting together and listening to the local people talking about the changes of their hometown.

Shenzhen-Hong Kong students began to understand the meaning of "common prosperity of all Chinese people".

Gathering in Shenzhen - Donglan Students Experiencing the Cutting-Edge Scientific Achievements 

On their return visit, students from Donglan Shenzhen Longhua Primary School entered the PKXYS, where they visited the smart classrooms, the Maker Space, the multi-functional sports gym, etc.

These campus facilities brimming with a strong sense of technology have left a deep impression on Donglan students.

Executive Principal Dr. WANG Hongjun spoke to the children with a sweet smile, "Although we are separated by mountains and seas, the two words 'Shenzhen Longhua' bind the common connections between us."

Donglan students were visiting the Exhibition Hall for the 40th Anniversary of Guangdong's Reform and Opening Up: The Great Tide Rises in the Pearl River.

Donglan students were visiting the Printmaking Museum.

From listening to the stories of Guangdong's Reform and Opening Up at the Lianhua Mountain, to witnessing the hard-working history behind "Shenzhen Miracle" in the Exhibition Hall, and then to the laughter and joy at the Karoo Ice Snow World, the Shenzhen Library, Shenzhen Art Museum, and Printmaking Village, each of the modern pictures gradually unfolds before the children's eyes.

Students were visiting the Shenzhen Library.

In front of the smart book storage in the North Hall of Shenzhen Library, WEI, a student from Donglan, stared at the robot's book-picking arm, unable to take his eyes off it.

"It's amazing that the robot can carry about 250kg of books at a time. I'm going to invent a more powerful robot in the future!"

Donglan students were singing the song "Going to Grandma's Home" in Zhuang ethnic language.

The interactions in a classroom made the students' friendship take root and sprout. Donglan students, dressed in Zhuang ethnic costumes, sang the song "Going to Grandma's Home". When the soft Zhuang language "Ma ga la ho (going to grandma's home)" floated into the audience's ears, the audience praised, "The 'ga la' in Zhuang language sounds much softer than 'grandma' in Cantonese. I want to teach the Zhuang language I learnt today to my friends in Hong Kong."

In the handicraft class, students from both schools sat together and collaborated to complete a work that combined Zhuang ethnic patterns with Hong Kong elements. The encounter between Zhuang ethnic patterns and Hong Kong-style creativity interpreted the true meaning of "each being beautiful in its own way".

Author:  Bureau of Education of Shenzhen Municipality, PKXYS

Source: Bureau of Education of Shenzhen Municipality