"Roaming and Reading Shandong" Visiting Foreign Friends' Experience in Jining Held in Jining

During the event named "Roaming and Reading Shandong" Visiting Foreign Friends' Experience in Jining, which was held in Jining from July 27 to 29, a visiting group composed of more than 10 journalists, experts and influencers from Japan, South Korea, Italy, Azerbaijan and Syria, among other countries, explored the Jining Museum (new site), the Wu Family Shrines, Mengyuan, the Kong Family Mansion, the Temple of Confucius and other sites, to watch exhibitions and performances of intangible cultural heritage, experience traditional cultural projects, and embrace the profound cultural worth of Jining.

Foreign friends visit the Jining Museum. [Photo by Cao Kefan]

In the Jining Museum, foreign friends appreciated the charm of precious cultural relics, such as the tripod cauldrons (Ding) of the Spring and Autumn Period, jade figurines of the Han Dynasty, blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty, learned about the Taibai Building, Tieta Temple, the Jiaxiang Wu Family Shrines and other cultural treasures of Jining, and witnessed the charm of Jining's traditional culture up-close.

"I'm so glad to have the opportunity to visit again the famous historical and cultural city of Jining," said Kim Jun Bum, a Korean entrepreneur and social media influencer, who was deeply impressed by Jining. He noted that foreigners mustn't miss Jining if they want to gain an in-depth understanding of China and the Chinese culture. 

Foreign friends visit the Jiaxiang Wu Family Shrines. [Photo by Li Wei]

At the Wu Family Shrines located in Jiaxiang County of Jining, foreign friends were amazed by stone carving art from the Han Dynasty which features rich content, profound connotations and exquisite carving techniques, and they couldn't help exclaiming,"The stones here can talk! They have such a rich culture!"

Members of the visiting group take a group photo at the Temple of Confucius. [Photo by Cao Kefan]

After visiting the Kong Family Mansion and the Temple of Confucius, Shiozawa Eiichi from Kyodo News noted that he was pleased to come to Jining. China boasts a wealth of 2,000-year-old cultural relics which are well preserved. It also features plenty of traditional culture passed down from generation to generation. He hoped that more Japanese would visit Jining to learn about the profound Confucian culture.