Members of the Seminar on Outstanding Teacher Training for Developing Countries program try tie-dyeing in Yantou village, Jinhua, Zhejiang province. [Photo/jinhua.com.cn]
Twenty-six members from Zimbabwe, Gambia, Croatia, Egypt, Grenada, and Uzbekistan visited Yantou village and Hanzao village in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, on Sept 7, as part of the Seminar on Outstanding Teacher Training for Developing Countries co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and Zhejiang Normal University.
In Yantou village, the group experienced Wuzhou tie-dye, an intangible cultural heritage craft rooted in Jinhua, once known as Wuzhou. Under the guidance of a representative practitioner, participants created their own pieces. Rehab Hanafy Aly from Egypt shared her excitement and said she will give her creation to her daughter.
The group also appreciated the charm of the ocarina and guqin at the Jinhua Ocarina Museum and Xitong Qin Xiao Hall in the village. They marveled at an innovative product merging the ocarina with ceramic craft, which can be played as an instrument and also used to hold water.
Ziso Bright from Zimbabwe was inspired by the integrated culture-tourism model and expressed the plan to promote the commercial development of traditional craftsmanship back home to preserve traditions and boost livelihoods.
In Hanzao village, the members visited the China Wuzhou Kiln Museum, where Chen Xinhua, an inheritor of Wuzhou Kiln firing techniques, shared the history of the kiln. They also crafted pottery pieces under the guidance.
