For celebrating the 15th UN Chinese Language Day, BNU organized an activity for the international students to experience the traditional skills of mural restoration and copying in the Tang dynasty.

The international students appreciated the Tang Dynasty murals’ copies, and practiced copying murals on clay tablets, through which they learned about the history thousands of years ago and felt the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. The stories of the Silk Road enabled them to find examples of friendly exchanges and civilizational exchanges between China and their own country.

As the earliest form of painting, ancient Chinese murals enjoy a long history. As a national treasure, the royal murals of the Tang Dynasty vividly reproduce the scenes of palace life and aesthetic tastes of the Chinese people that time. The foreigner characters, exquisite utensils, domesticated animals, plants, decorative patterns and other elements in the murals depict the real historical scenes of the integration and development of both Eastern and Western civilizations on the Silk Road.

Some students come from countries along the ancient Silk Road. When they saw the scenes of exchanges between the Tang Dynasty and their homelands, they marveled at the fact that China has had close relationship with their own country since ancient times and many of the scenes and stories in the murals reflects the history and culture of their country.

After the activity, the students said that they gained knowledge and have a strong sense of accomplishment in the process of making handicrafts.