MK socks South China's Guangdong Province. Photo: VCG" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2024/2024-12-29/e0d2105c-1a4f-44d3-a5c6-6a3a08553c6b.jpeg" />

Picture shows a Yingge dancing performance in Jieyang, South China's Guangdong Province. Photo: VCG

Since the introduction of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture in October 2023, "culture" has become a buzzword throughout the year of 2024 in China.

In 2024, China has intensified its efforts to protect cultural relics and heritage, expanding initiatives to safeguard intangible cultural heritage. Major archaeological projects have made new progress, and Chinese culture's global appeal continued to grow.

The popularity of museums is soaring, cultural creativity is flourishing, and the cultural life of Chinese people is constantly enriched.

With three stories of this special issue, the Global Times provides a look into the shining examples of mutual learning and cultural exchange between Chinese cultural essence and other civilizations. During the process, the value of precious cultural heritages has been inherited and revitalized.  

Traditional treasure

At the invitation of Singapore-based Teo Yeonh Huai Kuan (or Chaoyang cultural association), a cultural hub for individuals from the Chaozhou and Chaoyang regions in South China's Guangdong Province, the Zhongjing Yingge team from Guangdong performed a Yingge dance on December 21 in Singapore as part of the local celebrations for Winter Solstice, one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. 

It is one of the invitations that Zhang Bin has taken part in the past months as the Yingge, which has its origins in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), has become popular across the world with its tribute and homage to heroes and warries of Chinese history. 

Zhang Bin, a member of the Yingge team, told the Global Times that the 45-member team felt deeply honored to participate in this cultural exchange in Singapore, bringing the traditional Yingge dance to a global audience and showcasing the richness of Chinese culture.

"Upon arriving in Singapore, I was greeted at the airport by members of the association. Hearing the familiar sound of Chaoyang dialect in a foreign land was especially heartwarming," said Zhang. 

During the days of cultural exchange, it felt like being at home, celebrating the Winter Solstice with traditional customs such as eating tangyuan (sweet dumplings) and paying homage to Heaven and Earth, Zhang said. 

The Yingge dance is a form of folk dance widely practiced in Guangdong, combining elements of opera, dance, and martial arts with origins dating back several centuries. 

In 2006, it was included in China's first national intangible cultural heritage list, Xinhua News Agency reported.

United by 'harmony' philosophy 

Just like tradition cultural heritage like Yingge Dance, China's ancient wisdom and philosophy has not only nourished millions of Chinese people for thousands of years, but also inspired people with different background to discover their own understandings.

In Qingtian of East China's Zhejiang Province stands a vibrant, fish-shaped museum, harmoniously blending with the surrounding mountains, rivers, forests, fields, and terraced landscapes. 

It is the Qingtian Rice-Fish Culture System Museum designed by French architect and urban designer, Olivier Greder, who embodied China's traditional philosophy of "Tian Ren He Yi," or "unity of nature and man," into its contemporary design. 

"It is a project that holds great meaning for us as it aims to support the local life and immerse visitors in an authentic local atmosphere," Greder, professor and dean of the Urban Design Department from School of Architecture at China Academy of Art told the Global Times on Monday.

Known by his Chinese name Lu Wei, he has been living and working in China for nine years. 

At the China Academy of Art (CAA), he teaches architecture and urban design, which aligns with the traditional philosophy of harmony between man and nature.

"Reestablishing this relationship is a central focus of my work. I have been working on symbiotic urban changes for several years. There is still a lot to be learned from the traditional approach," he added. 

The overall architecture is conceptualized in two layers: the lower, more for productive and social life and the upper level focuses on exhibitions and connecting with the stunning farming landscape. The building follows the curves offered by the river and rice fields it borders.

"The general dynamics of the building's form makes it harmonious with the landscape from which it draws its curved lines," he said. 

The building offers a suspended rice field designed to be irrigated through a water network connected to the surrounding rice terraces. 

Qingtian has sufficient water resources and a terraced landscape. The rice-fish co-culture system offers substantial income opportunities for local farmers.

The on site excavation of China-France joint archaeological project Photo: Courtesy of Li Zhanyang

Seeking for shared origin 

Not just Chinese philosophy, China is also sharing the world with Chinese solutions and experiences in areas like archaeology and cultural relic protection.

Among the many cross cultural archaeological projects he initiated, experienced Chinese archaeologist Li Zhanyang regards the Kenya project as one of his most memorable endeavor, where a joint China-Kenya team explored the origins of modern humans.

The joint archaeological team has searched and excavated around the Kimengich Ruins, and more than 2,000 pieces of ancient stone wares and animal fossils were unearthed. These relics illustrate the  evolution of human civilization across the early, middle, and late Paleolithic periods.

Although such relics has been discovered in Africa, Li views the search for early humans as "a matter concerning the shared heritage of human civilization." 

Chinese experts introduced techniques such as 3D regional surveying to the project in Africa. The China-Kenya project has a deeper meaning of excavating the civilizational connection between different cultures.

When Chinese archaeology goes abroad, it fosters exchange and mutual understanding between Chinese civilization and others.