18 | Friday, November 13, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | DAILY LIFE

Confucius and the in , prov­ ince, dating back 2,500 years. Also When the best lessons included are the Emperor Qinshi­ huang’s Mausoleum in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province and home of the in a village school are Terracotta Warriors from 2,200 years ago. All the seven aforementioned are learned on the ground UNESCO World Heritage sites, while the other two sites are San­ xingdui Site in Guanghan, Sichuan Gao Juan calls to her students province, which marks a mysteri­ on the basketball court. The chil­ ous bronze civilization from 3,200 dren are playing amid their break years ago and Xi’an Beilin Muse­ between classes and soon gather um, where over 10,000 precious around their teacher, as she intro­ stone carvings are housed, includ­ duces each of them to visitors at ing steles, epigraphs and other cal­ the school. ligraphy works that have been “Some are shy and take a while engraved on rocks throughout Chi­ to open up. But they are very nese history. smart and learn Atuleer schoolteacher Gao Specific choices of cultural relics very fast,” says Gao, Juan (center) with her stu­ from these venues have not been 30. dents and the writer. publicly released yet. Gao teaches at CHEN XINYU / CHINA DAILY Nevertheless, no matter which 27 the school of Atu­ national treasures finally enter the leer, a cliffside vil­ A technician records Buddhist art inside Cave 341 in a digital format at the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, show, they’d better be prepared for lage in Zhaojue Hui autonomous prefecture. Gansu province, in September 2019. The site is featured in the third season of The Nation’s Greatest overwhelming public interest. Alexis county of the Liang­ Sun says he did feel discouraged Treasures. WANG JINGCHUN / FOR CHINA DAILY “Many museum collections men­ Hooi shan Yi autono­ when he first took up the “hard­ tioned in the show soon become Second mous prefecture, ship post”. The conditions at the must­see tourist spots,” Jia Jianwei, Thoughts Sichuan province. village were tough, such as a lack director of Gansu Museum, says. The villagers of running water and inadequate The museum was included in the used to live in adobe huts perched communications links. But Sun second season of The Nation’s Great­ on precarious slopes that required says local colleagues advised him TV show again brings est Treasures. a half­day climb, before local not to give up because things “Everyone coming to our muse­ authorities laid out a metal ladder would soon improve. um asks to see the three artifacts (in network to reduce their commute They were right — in less than a the show),” he says. “We have to to about two hours. decade, the poverty alleviation national treasures to light move them out of the warehouse In May, most of Atuleer’s villag­ drive helped Bulenggou shed its and put them on regular display. It ers, from more than 80 house­ impoverished label to become a raises a new challenge to better holds, started moving into new model of development. Cultural relics take a starring role as the past is examined to take care of the relics, but it also apartments with modern ameni­ “We have good school facilities tells us how great an influence we ties in the county seat, as part of now, including a new complex better explain our present times, Wang Kaihao reports. can have among the public if new latest efforts in a nationwide pov­ with canteen and computer room,” media resources are used for cul­ erty alleviation drive. Sun says, adding that teachers who istory’s patina and dust tural relics.” The school, which offers class­ get assigned to the village will now has been wiped off, the Fang Qin, director of Hubei Pro­ es up to primary level, is also want to stay on for at least a few sparkle restored, but vincial Museum, appearing in the being upgraded, with room­and­ years. there never was any hid­ first season of the show, praises the board facilities for 600 people. The village enjoys full enroll­ Hing the remarkable glittering array third season for switching to focus Students receive about 4,500 ment rates for its school and kin­ of treasures that will now be viewed, more on archaeological findings on yuan ($679) each in annual sub­ dergarten with more than 60 appreciated and seen in a new light heritage sites. sidies. students. Students’ grades con­ by the nation. “The early­stage Chinese civiliza­ The students, many from the tinue to improve significantly, The third season of The Nation’s tion is like a starry night and cultur­ Yi ethnic group, clearly enjoy with at least three of its students Greatest Treasures, a popular TV al hubs are scattered all over China, their lessons and look forward to graduating to head for universi­ variety show on cultural relics, will like ,” he says. “We can the improved learning condi­ ties, he says. Sun himself is mod­ be premiered on Dec 6, it was show that diversity to the rest of the tions. est about his contributions to the announced at a news conference in world through more vivid stories I was fortunate enough to visit community, even as his care and the Palace Museum in Beijing on and help people to have a panorama Atuleer this summer as a journal­ concern for the students are Monday. of Chinese civilization.” ist, writing a series of in­depth obvious. The first season of the program Indeed, for serious scholars, it reports about China’s unprece­ “The villagers can see the with was remains disputable as to whether it dented achievements in eradicat­ importance of education. The chil­ piloted in December 2017 and soon is commendable to explain cultural ing extreme poverty — defined as dren also all look forward to class­ became a cultural phenomenon. On Visitors enjoy Xi’an Beilin Museum where more than 10,000 relics with an entertaining living with less than 4,000 yuan in es; rain or shine, they come,” he Douban, China’s major film and TV precious stone carvings are housed. YUAN JINGZHI / FOR CHINA DAILY approach. Luo Xiangjun, director of annual income — by the end of says. critic website, both of the previous Museum, which participated this year. In Dulongjiang township of the two seasons gained 9.1 points out of in the second season, admits the In five months, I visited five vil­ Gongshan Derung and Nu auton­ a total 10. Consequently, nine key historical controversy, but he also welcomes it. lages in four provincial­level areas omous county, Nujiang Lisu In each episode, three key exhibits heritage sites have been selected for “If the show failed to stir contro­ at the front lines of the anti­pover­ autonomous prefecture, Yunnan from one museum were selected to the third season. The Palace Muse­ versy, it wouldn’t bring creativity ty fight. Many of these ethnic com­ province, school principal Yang be highlighted. And the items were We want to broaden um, which embraces the 600th and change to the industry,” Luo munities used to form some of Siyang says his students’ perform­ introduced by A­list entertainment our horizon to anniversary marking its construc­ says. “The Nation’s Greatest Trea­ China’s most impoverished areas ance have also improved amid bet­ stars through short historical stage tional completion this year, remains. sures has reshaped the industry and deep amid the mountains. But ter living and teaching conditions. dramas, while vivid behind­the­ evaluate Chinese “Under the premise of protecting inspired us to think what is really they have since shed their poverty Their Derung ethnic communi­ scenes stories related to the relics heritage from a global heritage, we need to better explain needed in museum operations.” label, working together resolutely ty is located in one of the most were relayed by experts. the humanity and diverse values Jin Ruiguo, deputy director of to share in the country’s growing remote parts of the country, but “The new season will trace the perspective to see hidden there,” Wang Xudong, museum department under the prosperity. that has not stopped the anti­pov­ root of the Chinese people’s psycho­ what makes China as director of the Palace Museum, says. National Cultural Heritage Admin­ As demonstrated by Atuleer erty measures from investing in logical genes,” Jin Dong, an actor, “We expect the young to strengthen istration, also hails the attempt teacher Gao, one of the most education to attract young teach­ says in the trailer of the third season. it is.” their confidence in our own culture.” made by the program to better intro­ impressive features of the anti­ ers and keep classes up to stan­ “We can thus better understand the Yu Lei, director, third season of But the other eight are newcom­ duce professional research results to poverty effort is felt in the schools. dard, he says. meaning of exploring our ancient The Nation’s Greatest Treasures ers to the show. the public. Many of the young teachers come The school, with more than 750 civilization.” They include the 3,300­year­old For example, he cites that the pro­ from neighboring areas. Their students of up to junior high level, “The celebrities were quite hum­ Yinxu Ruins in province, duction team refers to over 60 aca­ dedication to students and pas­ boasts three­story classroom ble during the production of the see a format change to better reflect where the earliest­known Chinese demic papers preparing for contents sion to improve the lives of future blocks as well as dining and dor­ show,” Yu Lei, the director of the the development of millennia’s Chi­ written characters were excavated, on one cultural relic. generations through education mitory areas. There are more than show, says. “Here, the cultural relics nese civilization through the cultur­ in Dunhuang, Gansu “That is even more rigid than make all the difference at the local 100 teachers, averaging 27 years are the biggest stars.” al relic sites with a wide time span. province, a group of splendid Bud­ organizing an exhibition,” the offi­ level. old. Both of the previous seasons were “We want to broaden our horizon dhist grottoes ranging from the 4th cial says. “When the academic foun­ Sun Qiang, 30, left his home­ “Here on the ground, we must led by the Palace Museum, also to evaluate Chinese heritage from a to 14th centuries, and the 1,300­ dation is there, the path spreading town in Pingliang, Gansu prov­ continue to focus on the young known as the , and global perspective to see what year­old in Lhasa in knowledge with creative formats is ince, seven years ago to teach at an and help all of them to thrive,” were joined by key provincial­level makes China as it is,” she says. the Tibet autonomous region. right.” elementary school in Bulenggou Yang says. museums in China. “Through the developing and evolv­ The list also involves the Classical village about 400 kilometers away. Nevertheless, Yu revealed on ing Chinese civilization, we can also Gardens of Suzhou, Jiangsu prov­ Contact the writer at Bulenggou is in Dongxiang Contact the writer at Monday that the third season will see how it contributed to the world.” ince, the Temple and Cemetery of [email protected] autonomous county of the Linxia [email protected]

“Our homestay is right next to the crater parks,” Huang tells me. “Tour­ ‘Volcano community’ discovers bedrock of success ism has been booming with more and more people visiting here. We also promote the local farm produce By OWEN FISHWICK and villagers can sell it on our door­ [email protected] step.” Huang is not alone in flying the Chen Ruimei tap, tap, taps a nail flag of local produce. Hong Qiang is with pinpoint accuracy into one of a college graduate that returned to the many porous holes that make Shicha in 2018 to start his own busi­ the surface of a volcanic rock about ness. He too operates a successful the size of my own head. The nail homestay which produces a particu­ skewers a sprig of dendrobium — a lar homegrown specialty popular type of orchid which has many com­ among tourists — black bean tofu. mercial uses from tea, traditional Making it is an arduous and time­ Chinese medicine and even wine. consuming process, but Huang’s Volcanic rock, you say? You don’t steady hand and determination just find that lying on the ground. mirror his desire for success. Well, in Shicha village in South Chi­ “When I returned to my home­ na’s Hainan province, you do. Shi­ town in 2018, I was impressed with cha is located at the foot of an changes,” Huang says. “So, I started inactive volcano on the island that Left: Hong Yiqian (left), Party secretary of Shicha, Hainan province, explains to China Daily’s Owen Fishwick the role volcanic rock has my own agritourism business, hop­ dominates the landscape. You can’t played in the village’s development. Right: Shicha village has taken advantage of its surroundings to develop. PHOTOS BY LIU HAO / CHINA DAILY ing to increase my income and pro­ walk a single meter without encoun­ mote the local delicacies.” tering volcanic rock — strewn about As I make my way up the slopes of the landscape from massive erup­ dendrobium on an industrial scale. The notion of utilizing the local “After they started planting den­ years is related to the volcano. the volcano, I am swept along by a tions millennia ago. It’s used every­ Chen, a worker at a dendrobium cul­ volcanic rock for industrious purpos­ drobium, I came back to my home­ Streams of tourists climb its slopes healthy bustle of visitors eager to where; houses are built out of it, and tivation base in Shicha, used to have es stems from President Xi Jinping’s town,” Chen says. “My salary is much everyday year round to gaze upon make the summit and survey the the volcano itself is a major tourist to leave the village in order to find introduction of targeted poverty alle­ higher than before. Also, this is much the views and the crater itself. Locals view. At the peak, it dawns on me attraction, drawing in tourists to work, but today she happily taps viation in 2013. The idea being that closer to my family , so I can better like Huang Mei are primed to slake why so many people have come back climb its slopes and spend, spend, dendrobium sprigs into volcanic for each individual circumstance of care for the young and old at home.” visitors’ thirst and provide a bed aft­ to their hometown of Shicha. It’s not spend in the local economy. rock under the shade of tropical poverty, there must be a unique and Much of Shicha’s success in rais­ er a day on the volcano, opening just to be better off financially, it’s It’s even used in the planting of branches. individual solution. ing its fortunes in the past seven idyllic and comfortable homestays. for views like this.