In June 2022, in order to embrace the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and help build the cultural belt of Zhejiang's poetry road and the provincial brand of 'Picturesque and Dynamic Zhejiang', dozens of teachers and students from the School of International Communications & Education of the Communication University of Zhejiang formed the team of 'The investigation team of historical sites and facts of the road of Tang poetry in eastern Zhejiang'. 

The team is focused on exploring the bright and beautiful mountains and rivers inscribed in Tang poetry and their remain and outreach in the present day, merging expertise in translation, comparative literature and cross-cultural communication to bring an innovative international communication perspective to the study of Tang Poetry Road in eastern Zhejiang.

Part of the team teachers and members. (Photo/ Yin Mo)

In addition to exploring the classic poetry and painting, gardens, plants and humanities of the Tang dynasty in Hangzhou, Shaoxing and Taizhou, with the help of team leader Yin Mo, teachers from the Communication University of Zhejiang, journalists from the Zhejiang Daily Press Group, the team also built a vertical dialogue space including  relevant government departments, experts from 8 countries and scholars from various institutions to obtain first-hand information.

The team created nearly 20 artworks with elements of Tang poetry imagery, and also took advantage of the Communication University of Zhejiang's disciplinary strengths to produce a number of promotional videos for the trip. The team strives to interpret the poetry road in the aesthetic dimensions of 'witnessing', 'resonating' and 'chanting', and to efficiently seek answers on how to better disseminate the culture of the poetry road.

The team conducted a thorough study of poetry, encountering legendary Tang poems in eastern Zhejiang, retracing the context of their creation and portraying their imagery and emotions in the context of the landscape. The team skimmed through domestic and international poetry treatises and translation theories to consider how to break through language barriers, poetic differences and cultural differences to maximise effective communication. The team used professional word frequency measurement and text analysis techniques to conduct a comprehensive sampling and analysis of cultural videos around the world, comparing them horizontally in terms of topic selection, production techniques and delivery methods, summarising the distribution of overseas audiences' interests, and briefly concluding the impact of video content's distinctiveness and relevance on communication effectiveness.

With the general improvement in the quality of short video production and the gradual enrichment of presentation methods, only by grasping the quality of cultural communication videos can we gain the attention and interest of the public.

The Road of Tang Poetry in Eastern Zhejiang is full of beautiful mountains and waters wherever you look. The only way to make nature and humanity shine together is to keep learning about and passing on its profoundly excellent traditional culture. 

Part of the team teachers and members. (Photo/ Yin Mo)

To build an elegant, flexible, innovative, sustainable and socially valuable cultural research team is the vision of 'The investigation team of historical sites and facts of the Road of Tang Poetry in Eastern Zhejiang' from the School of International Communications & Education, Communication University of Zhejiang. They will continue to use their avant-garde imagination and flowing inspiration to help the Poetry Road in eastern Zhejiang to glow with legendary colours in the long run.

Author: Yin Mo, Peng Kezhou

Web Editor: Tan Qikuan