SEU opens 2024 “Impression of Mei’an · Classroom amid Flowers”

[SEU News Network, March 14^th] (Correspondent: Dong Xuan, Photographer: Hang Tian) On March 6^th, amidst the lingering chill of early spring, plum blossoms bloom. SEU 2024 “Impression of Mei’an · Classroom Amid Flowers” commenced in front of the newly constructed plum garden at the Jiulonghu Campus. Numerous SEUers gathered at the site, engaged in hands-on learning of the intangible cultural heritage skill of making “Jinling Velvet Flowers”, experiencing the “Classroom amid Flowers”, and touching the beauty of traditional culture. This marks the second consecutive year of the campaign, where in SEU, utilizing an open classroom platform, deeply integrates excellent traditional culture with aesthetic education. It also demonstrates SEU’s continuous exploration of cultural inheritance and development through practical endeavors in adherence to the principle of cultivating individuals through aesthetics and culture.

In this session of the “Classroom Amid Flowers”, Ms. Cheng Ying, a renowned local artist and representative inheritor of the craft of making Jinling Velvet Flowers, was invited to teach the intricate art listed in the Jiangsu Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory. “As rosy cheeks fade in the mirror and flowers fall from trees, only velvet flowers outshine others with permanent beauty.” Velvet flowers, blossoming amid the hair of Chinese women, symbolize enduring beauty, echoing the homonym for “prosperity” and conveying auspiciousness. Their exquisite forms reflect people’s aspirations for a fulfilling life. Seated beneath the plum trees, SEUers, under Cheng Ying’s guidance, crafted plum blossoms by hand. Each velvet flower danced on their fingertips, juxtaposing the budding plum blossoms on the treetops in a delightful harmony.

At the campaign, members of the SEU Folk Music Orchestra plucked the strings of pipa. Zhou Tianheng, a teacher from the Art Guidance Center of SEU and a member of the Chinese Kunqu and Guqin Association, even recreated the elegance of the ancient Mei’an Qin School with a rendition of Three Variations of Plum Blossom on the guqin. The enchanting melodies emanating from the guqin and pipa infused the audience with the essence and charm of plum blossoms.

More teachers and students wandered through the plum garden, some engaged in lively conversations about their New Year aspirations, others tiptoed to inhale the faint fragrance, while some raised their phones to showcase the beauty of the campus to their families…Everyone indulged in the colorful charm of the plum blossoms.

As far as SEU is concerned, Mei’an represents not just a building but a symbol of spirit. Originally a thatched cottage at the Sipailou Campus, Mei’an was named Mei by Jiang Qian, the then-president of Nanjing Higher Normal School, in memory of Li Ruiqing (also known as Mei’an), a supervisor (president), educator, artist, and calligrapher at Liangjiang Normal School. It was also the birthplace of the “Mei’an School” of guqin art. Furthermore, Mei’an served as the venue for the Second National Congress of the Communist Youth League of China. Two years ago, the Publicity Department of the SEU Party Committee planned and organized the “Impression of Mei’an” campaign. Faculty and students from the School of Architecture replicated and constructed this building of great historical significance among the numerous historical buildings at SEU based on historical photos and related documents from the early days of Mei’an at the Jiulonghu Campus.

To inherit and promote the fine tradition of nurturing students at SEU, fully leverage the function of cultural inheritance and innovation in universities, and better fulfill the new cultural mission in the new era, the university has held the “Impression of Mei’an” series of cultural activities for two consecutive years since 2023. “Impression of Mei’an · Classroom Amid Flowers”, co-hosted by the School of Arts and the CYL SEU Committee, is a cultural brand campaign created by the university, a new form of cultural expression following the “2023 Cultural Collection”.

It is reported that in the future, the “Classroom Amid Flowers” will be open to the entire university and collect high-quality cultural course topics from society. Emphasizing the characteristics of cultural practice, it will be presented in a richer and more vivid form, aiming to create a platform for teachers and students to deepen their understanding, and inherit and develop outstanding traditional Chinese culture.