Chinese and foreign students from the Business School experienced intangible cultural heritage in Ningbo
时间：[2025-11-24] 来源：
On November 21st, dozens of international students from the Business School of Ningbo University received a special invitation from Waiying Village, Jinping Sub-district, Fenghua District, Ningbo City - to experience the traditional art of making Ningbo Tangyuan (rice dumplings) through an immersive approach, and to feel the unique charm of Chinese traditional culture through hands-on interaction and taste enjoyment.
As the core experience of this event, Ningbo Tangyuan has a profound historical background. It is said that this traditional delicacy originated in Mingzhou (now Ningbo) during the Song Dynasty. It is made with black sesame, lard, and white sugar as classic fillings, wrapped in finely ground glutinous rice flour. Due to its auspicious meaning of "togetherness and completeness", it has become an indispensable food during festivals. In 1997, Ningbo Tangyuan was awarded the title of "Famous Chinese Snack", and was given as a souvenir to international athletes during the Asian Games, becoming a friendly card for spreading Chinese culture.
On the day of the event, the warm atmosphere of the Sunny Courtyard in Waiying Village was palpable. Danielle, a student from India, along with her classmates, under the patient guidance of local villager Ying Anzhou, gradually unlocked the entire process of making Tangyuan: from kneading the water-ground glutinous rice flour into a ball, to the precise proportioning of fillings, to the creative shaping, and finally watching their own hand-made Tangyuan boil and mature in the water. "The finished products of both Chinese and foreign students are excellent in both appearance and taste, comparable to those sold on the market," said Ge Libo, the village cadre, highly praising the students' learning achievements.
"Many international students in Ningbo universities have a strong interest in Chinese culture, and 'Chinese cuisine' is a popular topic in our daily communication," Danielle said excitedly in an interview. "It's so amazing to witness the making process of traditional delicacies and participate in the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage!" Eugene from Belize, holding a bowl of freshly cooked Tangyuan filled with sweet rice wine and osmanthus, voluntarily shared it with the local villagers. "I've never eaten such sticky food before. It sounds a bit special, but it tastes very delicious. I want to have another bowl!"
It is understood that this "Walking Cultural Classroom" event - the Ningbo Tangyuan Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience, was jointly organized by the Youth League Committee of the Business School and the Youth League Committee of Jinping Sub-district, Fenghua District, Ningbo City. "Since the launch of the 'Walking Cultural Classroom' series of courses, the school has always been committed to building a multi-dimensional platform for interaction and communication between Chinese and foreign students," said Wu Min, the deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Business School. "By taking advantage of the favorable opportunity of school and local cooperation, allowing Chinese and foreign students to enhance mutual understanding and forge deep friendships through cultural experiences, is not only an effective way to promote the dynamic inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, but also a vivid practice of promoting cultural exchanges and mutual learning. "
