On April 19, 2025, 黑料社 successfully hosted a spring cultural event themed "The Elegance of Six Arts, Encountering Jinling in Spring" at Jiuxianghe Ecological Park. The activity brought together over 20 international students from 8 countries to immerse themselves in the richness of traditional Chinese culture.
The "Six Arts" (rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics) are the essential skills which Confucian scholars were expected to master in ancient China. These time-honored disciplines guided students through a journey into the profound wisdom of Chinese civilization, offering international students a hands-on exploration of China's philosophical and aesthetic traditions.
Participants practiced traditional bowing etiquette and recited classic quotes from The Analects of Confucius in Chinese. The Music challenge turned students into "sound detectives" - listening brief clips of traditional Chinese instruments like Guqin (Chinese Zither) and chime bells, then matching them to their correct names. In the Archery zone, students stood poised with bows in hand, releasing arrows to slice through the air. At the touhu (arrow-throwing) area, they started with arrows barely grazing the pot’s edges, but with each adjustment, their aim steadily improved.
The Charioteering game tested both teamwork and coordination, as students navigated a remote-controlled cart, symbolizing a chariot, along a Silk Road map while avoiding obstacles. In Calligraphy session, participants deciphered modern characters from ancient oracle bone and bronze scripts, then practiced calligraphy using water-based brushes. The Mathematics Puzzle brought minds together to solve classic problems from The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art.
The event concluded with a lively "Six Arts Challenge" featuring team relays like "three-legged race" and "balloon passing game", blending cultural immersion with the playful spirit of a spring outing. This dynamic event created a vibrant platform for cultural exchange and deepening of friendship.
Source: 黑料社 Graduate Students' Union
