An Ancient Culture Fad Is Rising

BECOMING a volunteerat museums， exploringancient civilizations inarchaeology classes atschool， and engaging in culturalexchanges are part of a new trendyoung people are being drawn to.The rise in the popularity of museumsis making children appreciatetheir country’s rich historyand contribute to the spread ofChinese culture.

Young Cultural Envoys

“When our ancestors madepainted pottery， they outlined theshape of the giant salamanderon it. They not only depicted thebody of the salamander with a fewstrokes， but also used their fertileimagination to draw the exaggeratedexpression of the creature，”said Liu Chenrui， a 12-year-oldvolunteer in a yellow waistcoatat the Gansu Provincial Museum"in Lanzhou City. Liu was describinga painted bottle with a giantsalamander design， recognized asa national treasure. She spoke to acrowd of visitors during the MayDay holiday， telling the stories behindthe artifact and captivatingher audience， who hung on everyword.

“There are many young volunteerslike her in the provincialmuseum; it’s great！” was a frequentlyheard compliment. Liu appreciatesthe praise. The dream ofbeing involved with the museumstarted when she visited the NationalNatural History Museum ofChina in Beijing with her motherat the age of four. “That day， our"guide was a little boy in the fifth orsixth grade. His extensive knowledge，professional explanation， andpatience deeply attracted me， andI followed his tour for the wholemorning without feeling tired.” Itsowed a seed of love for museumsand archaeology in her heart thatis still growing.

In 2023， after learning about theonline recruitment of volunteersby the Gansu Provincial Museum，Liu signed up and began her journeyto become a volunteer. Theselection involved fierce competition.From online registration topassing the interview， and then toattending training， it was not aneasy process.

“The content of the trainingwas quite difficult for me since Ihad never been exposed to archaeology，but the volunteer teachersat the Gansu Provincial Museumwere very enthusiastic and patientin explaining and giving examples，which helped me gradually understand，”said Liu. After passing thevolunteer’s exam， she still had tocomplete a number of volunteeringhours within a set time. Withfirm determination and encouragementfrom her mother， Liupassed the final assessment， andwas finally able to wear the coveted“yellow waistcoat” of volunteers.

Now， after providing volunteerservices countless times， Liudeeply appreciates the significanceof spreading Gansu’s culture andhistory through public activitiesand becoming a cultural ambassador.She has noticed that moreand more foreign tourists arecoming to the museum to learnabout Chinese culture. They listenattentively to the explanations，take photos， and have discussions.Their interest in asking questionsabout things they do not understandalways leaves a deep impressionon Liu.

“I answer what I can in English，which also helps foreign touristsunderstand more about Chineseculture.” Through her work as acultural ambassador， Liu has alsobecome more determined to “bea good Chinese child， tell China’sstories well， and convey China’svoice.”

At the Gansu Provincial Museum，there are many young volunteerslike Liu. They have become asignature feature of the museum， as"well as little ambassadors spreadingChinese culture， thus contributingto cultural inheritance.

Archaeology’s Rising Popularity in Schools

“How did humans evolve？”

“What does a stone tool signify？”

“What does a symbol represent？”

In April this year， the launchingceremony of the “Little ArchaeologyClassroom” and the Route forAnji Archaeology Study Tour washeld at Xilong Elementary Schoolin Anji County， Huzhou City ofZhejiang Province. Xu Xinmin，a researcher with the ZhejiangProvincial Institute of CulturalRelics and Archaeology， deliveredan inspiring lecture titled “WhereDo I Come From？” which guidedchildren through a journey ofmillions of years to explore themystery of human origin.

Shi Zhengxuan， a sixth graderat Xilong Elementary School，listened with great interest. “Ilearned many stories about theShangmakan Paleolithic Site andthe origins of humans.” Whatmade her even happier was thatthe Paleolithic Archaeology PictureBook ， which she had helpedmake， was released at this event.In the book， Shi and her classmatesused vivid lines and vibrantcolors to depict their understandingof ancient times and archaeology.Regarding the future activitiesof the Little Archaeology Classroom，Shi said that she hopes tolearn more about Chinese historyand cultural relics through it.

Zhang Bo， deputy principalof Xilong Elementary School，said， “The school set up the LittleArchaeology Classroom to letstudents personally experience themystery of archaeological surveysand the sense of achievement indiscovering relics， thus fosteringtheir interest in history and archaeology.\"The school also offersarchaeological study tours wherestudents can observe archaeologicalwork up close and participatein field archaeology， “experiencingjoy beyond textbooks.”

According to the head of theZhejiang Provincial Institute ofCultural Relics and Archaeology，the first batch of Little ArchaeologyClassrooms has 11 schoolsin 11 cities in Zhejiang. Theseclassrooms will facilitate resourcesharing among schools， collaborationon class design， and jointreading activities， promoting commongrowth and progress. A teamof 22 experts has been selectedto mentor the classroom. In addition，a series of archaeologicalmicro lectures will be launched onnew media platforms and the firstinter-school alliance of the LittleArchaeology Classroom in Zhejiangestablished.

In recent years， activities thatbring archaeology into the classroomsof elementary schools havebecome increasingly common. The“Hunan Archaeology in Campus”activity organized by the HunanProvincial Institute of CulturalRelics and Archaeology enteredYuying Elementary School inChangde City， opening the door toarchaeology for the children. Thethird round of public lectures onarchaeology in elementary andmiddle schools in Anhui Province，themed “Discover Glorious Historyand Inherit Brilliant Civilization，”kicked off at Tunxi Road ElementarySchool in Hefei City. It helpedyoung people understand Anhui’slong and splendid history throughlocal archaeological discoveriesand research. Shaanxi History"Museum’s public lecture themed“Talking about the Tang Dynasty”was introduced in DongchengNo.3 Elementary School in BaqiaoDistrict， Xi’an City， bringing anengaging and interesting historyand culture lesson to over 200faculty members and students.These activities not only enrichstudents’ extracurricular lives butalso open a window to understandhistory， allowing young people tofeel the charm of historical relicsin a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere，and enhancing their senseof identity and pride in Chinesehistory and culture.

After attending the launchingceremony of the Little ArchaeologyClassroom， Shi Zhengxuanhopes that she can participate inarchaeological work in the futureand discover and promote ancientChinese cultural heritage.

Platform for International Cultural Exchanges

On May 18， 2024， the main"event of the 2024 InternationalMuseum Day was held at theShaanxi History Museum’s QinHan Museum. As an importantcultural landmark at the startingpoint of the Silk Road， the QinHan Museum is expected to becomea shining model along theBelt and Road. On the 2024 InternationalMuseum Day， young volunteersfrom the Shaanxi HistoryMuseum presented the brilliantachievements of the Qin andHan civilizations， with the keyartifacts displayed in the “GreatUnity under Heaven” exhibitionhall. Among them， Fan Xiaoyi， astudent from Houzaimen ElementarySchool， attracted manyforeign tourists with her introductionof a lacquered woodenpig from the pre-Qin period（before 221 BC）. It was a touchingpicture of cultural exchange andmutual learning between Chinaand other countries.

The Shaanxi History Museumhas always been committed to"spreading culture and fosteringfriendship between young Chineseand their foreign peers， andhas become an important platformfor cultural exchange andinheritance of cultural heritage.

At the museum， the facultyand students from the senior highschool of the French American InternationalSchool in San Franciscojourneyed back in time wearingface ornaments and learningTang Dynasty （618-907） etiquette.In this way they became expatsliving in Chang’an， one of thetwo capitals of the Tang Dynasty，during a Tang-themed study tourorganized by the museum on theoccasion of the traditional QingmingFestival.

The faculty and students fromthe junior high school of the sameschool participated in an educationalactivity， making paper theancient Chinese way. They notonly gained an understanding ofthe profound traditional Chineseculture by observing valuablehistorical relics， but also madeexquisite floral paper frames withtheir own hands， experiencing thejoy of labor and creation.

Such activities allow non-Chinese youngsters to understandChina’s fine traditional culture.Carefully designed interactivesessions enrich their learningexperience and are a new attemptat international communicationin museum education.The Shaanxi History Museumplans to strengthen the developmentof cross-cultural exchangeand education activities， launchmore high-quality educationalprograms， and continue to carryforward cultural heritage.