A recent visit to a museum introduces students to part of a Chinese army of warriors, as a result of joint efforts between school personnel, the museum, and a private organization.
On Saturday, October 11th, a group of CSArts students, parents, and teachers visited the Bower’s Museum in Santa Ana on a mission: to see the Terracotta Warriors in person. The terracotta warriors are an army of an estimated eight thousand unique statues, built by the first emperor of China Qin Shi Huang over 2,000 years ago to protect his belongings from tomb robbers. Of these eight thousand, the Bower’s museum had five on display–the third ever time they have been displayed in southern California.
It all started with an email. According to Nana Yang, the Mandarin teacher at CSArts, the chairman of the Chinese American Federation (CAF), Fei Pang, emailed her with the offer of free tickets to the Terracotta Warrior exhibition at Bower’s Museum. Yang, knowing how important Chinese history is to the Chinese AP exam, accepted almost instantly.
The trip was split into two parts, including a guided tour of the exhibit, and a crafting activity where visitors had the opportunity to make their own miniature terracotta warriors out of clay.
During the tour, the guide in particular stood out to Yang. “She started her presentation to introduce herself with her connection with China and her understanding of Chinese culture,” says Yang, appreciating the tour guide’s traditional Chinese robes.
But Yang says the crafting activity was even better. “That was my favorite part of the tour– the museum visit,” says Yang. The differences in the handmade student terracotta warriors show how each student views the Terracotta Warriors– and, on a broader level, Chinese history. Yang hopes that this trip has shown her students, even at a beginner level, an exploration of Chinese history, and she hopes that they are able to explore it with an open mind.
To Yang, the most valuable part of the visit was the connections built between the people who attended– students, parents, grandparents, teachers, and CAF members, all coming together to learn Chinese history and culture. However intangible, a bond, a connection is built, with a mutual appreciation for two thousand year-old culture.
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