On April 15, the Young Explorers Program went deep into the Hongkou community to experience community governance through cultural heritage, Chinese medicine, and media dialogue.
The morning started early at 8:30am, as the Young Explorers experienced the newly renovated community library “Qingyun Bookstore” to participate in an intangible cultural heritage paper-cutting class. Shi Ping, a third-generation Shanghai paper-cutter, moved her scissors fluidly across the paper. As paper scraps went flying she effortlessly created a majestic paper-cut tiger. Elliot, a young British man, exclaimed: “This is simply magic!” The young people were divided into two groups and tried for themselves. under the guidance of the teacher. When Maria, an American girl, unfolded her paper-cutting, she said in surprise: “I never thought I could cut out such a beautiful pattern!” Isabelle, a British girl, was also lucky enough to get an exclusive side face cut by teacher Shi Ping. Before leaving, the young people also got paper-cuttings of their own zodiac signs.
Afterwards, the journey continued to a community health service center to experience Traditional Chinese Medicine. There, they had a chance to experience pulse diagnosis, cupping, and acupuncture. The doctor took the pulse of the young people one by one. The humorous self-deprecation by Max from the UK asking “Do I have three months left?” got a solemn retort from the Doctor. “Try going to bed earlier and eating more vegetables”. The acupuncture experience area became the hottest check-in point, with everyone keen to try it.
At noon, young people and residents had a simple yet delicious lunch at the Guangzhong Road Street Community Canteen.
This was followed by a visit to the Blue Center to hold a Generation Z Exchange Salon. At the meeting, Alex, a foriegner who works at Shanghai Daily, opened with a speech about his experiences. Next, reporters from CNS, Shine, and Sixth Tone introduced their international communication experiences and travel stories. Everyone actively raised their hands to ask questions and share their confusions and insights. Alex said that he had been in Shanghai for many years, “This city is open and inclusive, I love it! I love China very much.” The young people discussed how to eliminate misunderstandings between countries and finally reached a consensus: true understanding begins with letting go of preconceived experiences.
After the salon, the young people came to the Huangpu River where they strolled, took photos and chatted in the sunshine while enjoying the river breeze. This day-long cultural immersion allowed the Young Explorers to feel the innovative pulse of Shanghai’s community governance, but also built a bridge of dialogue.
Written by Yichen Xu, edited by Liangyi Yu. If you liked this article why not read: Spot China Young Explorer Program Sets Off to Shanghai and Hangzhou
