The cultural activities held in New York, led by Chinese artist Nie Hui and cultural researcher Xie Feidong, explored various facets of traditional Chinese culture, including poetry, calligraphy, painting, and guqin music. Designed to engage both students and visitors, the programs emphasized experiential learning, linking language to visual and auditory elements.
Highlights included interactive sessions where children learned the Chinese word for “laugh,” visualized the origins of Chinese characters through ancient pictographs, and compared Chinese myths with biblical stories. The guqin’s historical significance was underscored, with pieces like “Liu Shui” featured prominently, even included on the Voyager spacecraft’s Golden Record.
Participants expressed how the programs deepened their understanding of Chinese culture, showcasing the beauty of art intertwined with tradition. As Nie Hui encapsulated, “Let art have the depth of culture, and let culture have the beauty of art.”
