International students pose for a group photo at Tiantai Mountain on June 13. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfb001]

More than 20 international students from over 10 universities across Zhejiang province gathered in Taizhou on June 13 and 14 for a cultural journey exploring Hehe culture, a traditional Chinese philosophy centered on harmony and coexistence.

The trip began at Tiantai Mountain, where participants visited Guoqing Temple, a thousand-year-old Buddhist site closely associated with the legendary figures Hanshan and Shide, symbols of Hehe culture. Surrounded by ancient trees and a tranquil atmosphere, the students gained their first close encounter with the philosophy's spirit.

Participants try their hands at assembling Luban locks. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfb001]

At the Hehe Culture Exhibition Hall and Hehe Cultural Park, they explored traditional Chinese wisdom through exhibitions and hands-on activities, including assembling Luban locks to experience the harmony embedded in ancient mortise-and-tenon craftsmanship.

The group also visited the Blue Circle exhibition base in Jiaojiang district, where they learned how discarded marine plastics are transformed into value-added products through collaborative recycling efforts. Participants described the initiative as a vivid example of harmony between people and nature.

Participants visit the Blue Circle exhibition base in Taizhou's Jiaojiang district. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfb001]

The journey concluded with traditional Chinese body-mind exercises and a Taizhou food-making experience ahead of Dragon Boat Festival.