In August this year, various government departments from Gongshu District in Hangzhou, Liping County in Guizhou Province, and the Zhejiang Women and Children's Foundation, along with organizations such as Alibaba Public Welfare, Meet You Museum, Hangzhou Industrial and Commercial Trust Co., Ltd., and Hangzhou Yishu, jointly organized and planned a 2023 "Mountain Phoenix" study tour. The theme of the activity was "Embracing the Asian Games, Marching Towards the Future," specifically designed for female students in deep and remote mountain villages. The aim is to encourage these girls to change their destinies through studying. This event is also part of the Zhejiang Women and Children's Foundation's "Mountain Phoenix Girls' Scholarship Program."
On August 7th, as part of the study tour at Meet You Museum · Hangzhou Pavilion, girls from Guizhou took their first steps into the "Meet You Dunhuang: Immersive Digital Art Exhibition," spanning a thousand miles. They immersed themselves in the beauty of traditional Chinese mural paintings, gaining insights into the grand history of Dunhuang and experiencing the delicacy and brilliance of rock colored murals.
In order to broaden the girls' artistic horizons and open their minds, the guiding teachers for this study tour, after several discussions, ultimately decided to let the children experience the most traditional mural creation method – rock color murals. They aimed to allow the girls to feel the essence of traditional Chinese colors. Due to the profession of rock color murals, the instructors pre-packaged mineral pigments and created replicas of Dunhuang murals, making it easy and enjoyable for the girls to get pleasure of artistic creation on-site.
During the study tour, the instructors emphasized the introduction of the origin and classic mural stories of the Dunhuang Grottoes through storytelling. This study tour takes the girls on a journey into the thousand-year history of Dunhuang.
During the practice session, the instructors chose classic content from Dunhuang murals such as "Nine-Colored Deer," "Three Hares Sharing Ears," and "Flying Apsaras" as replicas. Children were encouraged to use their imagination to recolor these classic stories and give their artworks new names. They could collaborate with ancient artists from a millennium ago. Other visitors at the exhibition also gave their likes and exclaimed, "Well done!" towards girls’ works.
In the rock color painting classroom, the girls were completely focused on the lecture. Despite it being their first encounter, learning didn't seem overly challenging for them. As their artworks were completed, the girls smiled with happiness.
"The experience was incredibly impactful. I'm sure I'll never forget. My dream is to get into an art academy," expressed a girl who attended the exhibition. "Thanks to the teachers for their company and help. Even though the time was short, it felt exceptionally heartwarming. I hope to come again next year!"
The organizers of the exhibition, Meet You Museum, stated that the collaborative and philanthropic exhibit featuring the original work "Meet Dunhuang" uses modern digital techniques to make "cultural artifacts come alive," offering a more effective way for young individuals to connect with our traditional culture. Moving forward, they aspire to engage in diverse collaborations to further explore beneficial initiatives in the realm of youth art and cultural education, consistently promoting the charitable values of cultural outreach.
2023 “Mountain Phoenix” Study Tour Event
Rock Color Murals Activity
Touring and lecture
Painting
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