Innovative Moves Advance Rural Revitalization in Ningbo
“Filial piety blessed land, shun tillage calendar mountain.”
On the afternoon of July 26, the second batch of college research teams participating in Project π: Exploring Social Civility in Rural Ningbo – jointly initiated by Ningbo Municipal Civilization Office and three other local organizations – received a mission. The teams were scheduled to go live separately at eight villages across this coastal city of East China with the theme of “Amazing Villages”. New Rural Glory, a team led by Ms. Zhang Bingqian (staff member of Ningbo Polytechnic), embarked on a bilingual live stream at Lishan Village, Ditang Subdistrict, Yuyao. With an injection of international flair into rural charm, the team accomplished their mission impressively.
Shao Yishu (left) and her teammate are live streaming.
On camera appear the two students: Lin Jingxiang, Mandarin-speaking anchor from Ningbo Polytechnic, and Shao Yishu, a 16-year-old sophomore from Ningbo Foreign Language School who provides English commentary throughout the broadcast.
The two student anchors strolled along iconic landmarks in Lishan Village. They walked through Lishan Cultural Park, Filial Piety Culture Gallery, Agricultural Culture Exhibition Hall and along to the Ant Library. Through their live broadcasting, the village’s rich cultural heritage was showcased to their audience.
This innovative move of promoting rural revitalization with bilingual live streaming has earned thumbs-up and ‘buzzword’ praise from netizens.
“On the first day of our survey, we were assigned to make a live stream; during the follow-up brainstorm, we decided to adopt a new presentation form.” Facing the camera with ease was Shao Yishu, who was making her debut in live broadcasting. Though she is the youngest in the team, her English proficiency was excellent. Just recently, Yishu finished the 19th Asian Games of Bilingual Student Journalist Training Camp and earned the honor of ‘Outstanding Bilingual Student Journalist’ in recognition of her exceptional oral English.
Before her first live broadcast, Yishu made careful preparations, including painstaking translations of her lines. To this high school student, participating in the live streaming was highly meaningful, “Bilingual live streaming is a way to showcase the charm of Ningbo’s local villages to more people, especially international tourists.”
Four international students are talking with a local villager.
The integration between “rural charm” and “international flair” is not limited to only one team. In “China’s Top Scholar Village”, Zoumatang Village, Jiangshan Town, Yinzhou District, eight postgraduate students from Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University and two high school graduates from Ningbo Siming Senior High School have been conducting research for several days. Among them, four are international students from Bangladesh and Zambia. And it is their first time delving into Chinese rural areas to figure out the secrets of rural China’s appeal.
In front of them is a horsehead-shaped gable with distinctive architectural features of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1616-1912), while not far away lies a spacious pond. The tall gable complements the lotus flowers, creating a picturesque scene that is truly captivating. Over the past few days, the four international students have been following the team’s journey in Zoumatang Village, exploring its scenery as well as interviewing villagers. Other on-site activities included visiting the ancestral hall to learn about family traditions and values, and savoring local delicacies such as lotus pond coffee and lotus seed jelly. While gaining insights into rural life, they are also contributing in their own way to the development of the village.
The foreign students are tasting lotus seed jelly.
“The Zoumatang Scholar Cake is scrumptious!” The previous day, Azad Md Tariquzzaman from Bangladesh gained a joyful hands-on experience in making the Scholar Cake. When finished, he asked other team members to film a short video in which he praised Zoumatang using the Chinese he has been practicing.
Malambo Lushomo and Bokola Masulani from Zambia took the initiative to shoot and edit a new but free promotional video for the village after having learned that the video of Zoumatang Village’s tourist center had not been updated for many years. Their gift would be completed within a week. Once it is finished, they also intended to share it through their personal social media accounts, inviting their overseas friends and families to enjoy this beautiful rural village.
Journalist: Chen Ye
Translators: Pan Wenjie, Yao Zhanhong (intern)
Proofreaders: Fan Yeping, Huang Dawang, Jason Mowbray
