江苏留学网

International students from the Economics and Management School of Nantong University are awarded for their stage performance on Dec 15. Their musical drama depicted their immersion in the intangible cultural heritage along the Grand Canal and expressed their appreciation of the culture. [Photo/ntu.edu.cn]

Shared Joy in Jiangsu -- a brand event developed by East China's Jiangsu province to engage foreigners -- had its latest iteration with a series of performances in the capital city of Nanjing on Dec 15, focusing on the intangible cultural heritage along the Grand Canal. 

Twelve singing and dancing performances embodied the cultural elements along the Grand Canal and echoed the event's theme: to protect, inherit and carry forward precious cultural treasures. 

The performances featured Chinese cultural inheritors paired with their international apprentices who brought alive their three-month-long cooperation in practicing among Peking Opera and the Guqin, a Chinese zither which is  a seven-stringed plucked instrument. There were also performances of the Dagu, a form of drum playing in the northern part of Jiangsu, a percussion instrument made of bamboo called the Yugu and Pingtan -- storytelling and ballad singing in the Suzhou dialect. 

The event also rewarded international students from some 20 Jiangsu colleges and universities for their stage performances, creativity and promotion of Chinese culture. 

Co-organized by the Jiangsu provincial information office, the foreign affairs office and the education department, the event is now in its 10th year. 

It has become a cross-cultural platform – rich in breadth and depth – to encourage foreigners to share their Chinese stories and promote Chinese culture.