To honor the rich and colorful Chinese cultural traditions and give students an exciting welcome at the start of a new semester, Bao’an-based Shenzhen International Foundation College (SIFC) invited nine intangible cultural heritage inheritors to give lectures on campus during the school’s recent welcoming week.

Included are paper-cutting artist Liu Wanjiang, leaf whistling artist Zhuo Zhongming, Chinese knots artist Yang Linjuan, cotton sculpture artist Luo Xiaolin, kernel carving artist Hu Tangshan, milk tea maker Yu Qingchi, traditional porcelain mender Fang Ruihua, whistler Wu Daze and face mask painter Peng Fang. They displayed their skills as well as shared stories about the heritages.

Fu Tengxiao, principal of the international school, said SIFC has always valued the teaching of Chinese culture and tries to cultivate in students a love for and pride in Chinese traditions.

The events were warmly received by students and teachers alike.

In the school library, those who chose the paper-cutting workshop were excited to work on their first work — a self portrait in the form of paper-cutting on the morning of August 17. A ninth grader said he would make a portrait of his father as a birthday present and Liu happily agreed to give him further tutoring after the session.

Zhuo, who is nearly 80, showed students how to make beautiful music by whistling on a petal. “I am surprised that so many kids would embrace this old skill,” he said.

The seemingly complex Chinese knots are made of a single string, explained Yang, as her fingers deftly danced around the string to produce one pretty piece after another.

The students also marveled at how much delicate work was put into carving a small thing as the olive kernel.

Helped by Luo, students learned to sew and create simple cotton sculptures such as strawberries and other decorations.

Mai’s milk tea has been popular in Guangdong Province for a century, and its inheritor Yu brewed cups of the beverage for students as he lectured about it. “This is the best milk tea I’ve ever tasted,” some said.

Wu displayed his whistling virtuosity by performing “By Lake Baikal,” a beautiful song originally written and sung by Li Jian. “Whistling is not just a trick done by the lips; you have to also work your tongue and fingers,” he said. “Whistling being accepted as an intangible cultural heritage is proof that our country has become more open and encouraging towards a diversity in cultural forms.”

Fang showed students the ancient technique of mending a broken piece of porcelain with tiny metal clamps, while Peng led students to appreciate the beauty of face masks originating from Chinese operas.

Founded in 2004, the school has accumulated accolades including the top 50 international schools in China voted by Forbes China this year and No. 3 in Shenzhen in a “most competitive international school list” in 2019. (Li Dan)