Experience Korean Culture on A Visit to Gwangju

The 10th China-ROK Youth and Children Art Exchange Activity， co-sponsored by the CPAFFC and the Government of Gwangju Metropolitan City， was held there from July 19 to 23， 2013. Sixteen Chinese primary and middle school student art troupes comprising over 500 people from 16 provinces， regions and municipalities including Beijing， Guangdong， Shandong and Xinjiang demonstrated their performing skills on stage together with nine Korean student art troupes.

The participants， through songs and dances， gained knowledge and created friendships in sharing joyous and touching moments.

This was the first major activity held since the signing last May of an agreement on friendly cooperation and cultural exchange between the CPAFFC and Gwangju Metropolitan City Government. The latter attached great importance to the activity and its relevant departments gave great support. Vice Mayor Oh Hyung-kook was present at the opening ceremony and made a speech.

Art Exchange

The Chinese and Korean children gathered in the Grand Theatre of Gwangju on the morning of July 20 and jointly staged a performance to show their different cultures. The Chinese performers brought to the stage Chinese ethnic group dances， performances of traditional Chinese musical instruments， wushu （martial arts） and calligraphy and painting demonstrations， to provide a realistic portrayal of the multi-ethnic character of China.

The Korean students presented such traditional items as fan dance， circle dance， Pansori， Taekwondo and K-pop， enabling their Chinese peers to have a more intuitive understanding of the Korean culture. The 36 items presented by the young performers of both countries showed the cultural diversity and development of their respective countries through their unique understanding and interpretation.

After the performance， the Chinese children learned Korean fan dance from Korean teachers. Having mastered the basic movements， they joined in a dance with the Korean students， the fans in their hands sometimes forming a mountain and sometimes a flower to the audience’s delight.

Experiencing Korean Culture

It was the first time for the Chinese students to visit Korea. Their knowledge of the country had come from Korean TV series broadcast at home in recent years. The visit to Gwangju， traditional home of Korean culture and art， enabled them to experience Korean culture through their eyes， hands and taste buds.

They visited schools， exchanging contact information with Korean students， learning Gangnam Style Dance， and witnessing the signing of the agreement on the establishment of friendship-school relations between China’s Chengdu Yulin Middle School and Gwangju Speer Girls’ High School.

They went to a folk village—Naganeupseong Fortress—in Suncheon， Jeollanam-do， to see the efforts of the Korean government to protect the ancient village and its 90-odd thatched houses dating from the Joseon period（1392-1910） and to learn about the local life and customs.

They visited Boramae Safety Experience Center watching videos that reproduced scenes of earthquakes and typhoons and walking into earthquake and typhoon simulation chambers. They learned how to avoid danger and help each other in a disaster.

They went to the theatre to watch Nanta， a representative Korean cultural show and a non-verbal performance， telling the story of four crazy chefs given the impossible task of creating a wedding banquet in just one hour. The performers used knives， pots and pans， water bottles， cutting boards and other kitchen utensils to make rhythmic music and their performance， combining acrobatics， magic tricks and comedy， was hugely enjoyed.

They attended a kimchi-making class， where they learned that lack of fresh vegetables had helped create kimchi from ancient times. Under their teacher’s guidance， they spread evenly the pre-mixed chili paste on pre-treated cabbage. They were excited to learn that the fruit of their labor would be sent to a local home for the aged.

The five-day visit soon came to an end. The Chinese children left the country with beautiful memories and deeper understanding of Korean culture.