Taking Youth as a Bridge to Pass Down Bashu Cultural Heritage, International Youth Study Tour Encounters the Great Beauty of Chongzhou

Recently, the delegation of the 2026 Chengdu International Sister Cities Universities Youth Summer Camp visited Chongzhou, embarking on a cultural study tour that combines the millennia-old charm with the new pastoral style. Young teachers and students from universities across multiple countries visited the ancient charm of old towns in an immersive manner, experienced intangible cultural heritage bamboo weaving, touched Bashu cultural context and felt the vitality of rural revitalization in the on-site study, and built a bridge for international communication for Bashu culture through youth dialogues.

At the first stop of the study tour, the delegation visited Yuantong Ancient Town, which boasts profound cultural heritage of Western Sichuan. Scenic spots including Luo's Courtyard, Huang Compound, the Catholic Church, Ziku Tower (traditional Chinese structure for burning written paper) and Guangdong Guild Hall weave together the millennium glory of the ancient town. The grey-tiled wooden houses are scattered in a well-arranged way, while ancient alleys and courtyards crisscross. The authentic style of folk residences in western Sichuan creates a vivid picture of the bustling water town in western Sichuan, allowing overseas teachers and students to closely appreciate the craftsmanship and charm of ancient architecture and the diverse and inclusive regional cultural traits in Western Sichuan.

The simple and elegant scenery of the ancient town has amazed guests from afar. Peter Komsta, Business Director of College of Vocational Education, RMIT University, said that Yuantong Ancient Town hides unique, off-the-beaten-path scenery, where lush green trees set off simple ancient stone buildings. The quiet, elegant and original ancient charm scenery is deeply impressive.

Leaving the hustles and bustles of the ancient town behind, the delegation headed for Daoming Bamboo Art Village, to explore the inheritance charm of Daoming Bamboo Weaving, a national-level intangible cultural heritage. Under the meticulous guidance of the commentator, the delegation successively visited core venues including Shuli Xiangjian Art Gallery‌, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Market and Chongzhou Traditional Crafts Promotion Association, systematically learned the full process of bamboo weaving from raw material processing, hand weaving to creative design, and listened to the inheritance stories of the intangible cultural heritage that have been passed down, upheld and innovated for generations.

From traditional bamboo utensils for daily use to trendy cultural and creative products, from simple ancient craftsmanship to modern art installations, the deep integration of traditional intangible cultural heritage and modern life allows young teachers and students to intuitively witness the new vitality of this time-honored craft. During the most popular bamboo weaving hands-on session, overseas young teachers and students touched the slender bamboo strips personally, learned the"one pick, one press" weaving technique, experienced the delicacy and exquisiteness of traditional craftsmanship through practice, and felt the craftsmanship and warmth of the millennium-old intangible cultural heritage.

Polina Parfenova, a student from Volgograd State Medical University in Russia, candidly admitted that the complex and exquisite bamboo weaving craftsmanship is stunning, and the hands-on making experience is particularly precious, which has become the most unforgettable experience of the study tour. Anne Le, a Vietnamese-origin student from Oxford Brookes University in the UK, stated that her family's bamboo weaving skills are highly compatible with the content of the study tour, and the experience will also provide vivid materials for her academic studies.

The international youth study tour, taking culture as the bond and intangible cultural heritage as the language, has built a high-quality platform for exchanges and mutual understanding between Chinese and foreign youth. It not only enables overseas youth to fully appreciate the beauty of Chongzhou's intangible cultural heritage, rural scenery and humanistic charm, but also helps the distinctive cultural context of Western Sichuan go abroad and engage in dialogue with the world.

It is learned that in the next step, Chongzhou will continue to deepen the activation and utilization of intangible cultural heritage, innovate forms of cultural exchanges with foreign countries, and continue to tell the stories of Chongzhou's intangible cultural heritage inheritance and rural revitalization, so that the millennium-old Bashu cultural context will continue to be rejuvenated through youth relay and international exchanges. (Text and Images/Liu Xinyue)

Translated by: Zhang Feng from Jinan University

Reviewed by: Mao Min from Beijing Yooyi Culture and Media Com., Ltd.