Expats in Jiangsu got an opportunity last Thursday and Friday to take a sip of the charm of the city of Yixing in the province. In the Discover Jiangsu trip this time, they were presented with purple clay ceramics, traditional communities, tea fields and more.
2022年8月18日，由江苏省人民政府新闻办公室、江苏省人民政府外事办公室主办，无锡市人民政府新闻办公室、无锡市人民政府外事办公室、宜兴市人民政府承办，江苏省广播电视总台、中国江苏网、江苏麦秋传媒文化有限公司共同协办的2022“发现江苏 品味千年陶都宜兴”活动启动仪式在宜兴市博物馆举行。
The opening ceremony featured Yixing’s highlights of traditional painting by Xu Beihong as well as the secrets of purple clay pottery making. A series of social media promotion campaigns of the city was also launched at the ceremony.
仪式现场，宾客欣赏了新民乐和歌曲《梁山伯与祝英台》，体会感人至深的东方浪漫。观看精品舞蹈《墨舞》，在徐悲鸿的家乡发现中国画之美。曾获德国莱比锡国际博览会金奖、中国工艺美术品百花金杯奖、首届中国工艺美术华艺杯金奖的工艺美术大师顾绍培现场讲述紫砂壶制作，精美绝伦的艺术让宾客赞叹连连。而“魅力无锡”TikTok账号、“中国陶都·宜兴”海媒账号的上线，更是让世界增加了了解无锡、了解宜兴的窗口。
In the team of the trip this time were 12 participants from countries including the US, Australia, Ecuador Ghana, etc., who were able to learn about the unique history and culture of the region at Yixing Museum, and paid a night visit to Old South Street by Shushan Mountain to witness its evolution from the ancient hub of purple clay teapots to a modern tourism community.
本次“发现江苏”之旅中，来自美国、澳大利亚、厄瓜多尔、加纳、巴基斯坦、乌兹别克斯坦、马来西亚、孟加拉等国共12位外籍友人组队来到江苏宜兴，在宜兴博物馆感受这一地区独特的历史文化与辈出名人，并夜游蜀山古南街，见证蜀山古南街从古代紫砂壶重要产地到引入多种新型业态的现代特色文旅街区的演化。
“I’m amazed by these old streets,” said Ravichandar from Australia. “I realized there’re still people living here, and the traditions are not discarded.”
来自澳大利亚的Ravichandar表示自己觉得蜀山古南街很惊艳：“人们仍旧住在这里，紫砂这一文化传统也仍然在这里延续。”
The second day of the trip was more about experiencing. In the morning, the expats were introduced to the tea fields of Longchi Mountain Bicycle Park before tasting the local tea. After visiting Liyong Purple Clay Museum for its huge and diversified collection, they also got a chance to make teapots of their own out of purple clay under the instruction of masters of the art.
旅程第二天，外籍友人们来到龙池山自行车公园观赏茶园，并品尝地道的本地好茶。随后，大家参观了馆藏颇丰的利永紫砂博物馆，并在紫砂壶大师的指导下亲手制作自己的紫砂壶。
Sohail from Pakistan told us that this is the first time he tried drinking tea, and it tasted wonderful. He also compared pottery in Yixing and back home: “We also have pottery in my home country, but they’re different. However, I still noticed many similarities between both arts.”
来自巴基斯坦的Sohail说：“这是我第一次喝茶，尝起来非常不错。而说到紫砂，我的家乡也有陶器的制作，和宜兴紫砂差异很大，但我也同样看到二者有很多共通之处。”
Jomaira from Ecuador showed us how she made her purple clay teapot. “It’s heart-shaped and you can use this piece to decorate it. For me, I made a leaf. It’s not too fancy but I tried my best, and this is my final result.”
来自厄瓜多尔的Jomaira向我们介绍了她制作的紫砂壶：“我做了一个心形的壶，如果你想装饰它的话就可以用这一片紫砂泥。我做了一片叶子，虽然不是特别漂亮，但这是我努力的成果。”
"Discover Jiangsu" is a major brand forged by Jiangsu Province. Each year, the organizers invite expats living in Jiangsu to explore various sides of the province and introduce Jiangsu to the world.
“发现江苏”是江苏省着力打造的采风采访体验活动品牌，旨在通过生活在江苏的外籍人士的独特视角来发现江苏的美丽、魅力，并借助这些“平民大使”向世界宣传、推介江苏。
