“People-to-People” – James Heller, Huang Haifeng, Jinyin Street Part 3 “人与人交流” —

Read Time:10 Minute, 29 Second

Zijing Liu

Edited by Marco Monroy

Jinyin Street: The Base of “People-to-People”

金银街：“人与人交流”的大本营

On Friday, March 31, the day after Consul General James Heller and Dr. Huang Haifeng’s visit, Jinyin Street (The Golden and Silver Street) next to the HNC reopened as Jinyin Street International Youth Art District. This day coincided with the opening of the Nanjing University International Culture and Art Festival. Jinyin Street is about 200 meters long and is known as “A Back Street with the Culture Rich, Hundred Steps with Everything Nice.” And on one side is HNC, Institute for International Students of Nanjing University, and Nanjing University Business School. Jinyin Street is organically combined with Nanjing University Gulou Campus, where Chinese and foreign students live and study. There are nearly 500 small shops around Nanjing University: bookstores, flower shops, tearooms, restaurants, cafes, and so much more.. This is one of the most internationalized places in Nanjing and is one of the centers of face-to-face communication. Jinyin Street in Nanjing serves a similar purpose to Chinatowns abroad, hosting an enclave of international cuisines and shops. Walking down Jinyin Street, people can experience the fusion of cultures from all over the world, granting residents and visitors of Gulou District access to the entire world.

3月31日周五，总领事何乐进和黄海峰教授来访的第二天，中美中心旁边的金银街开街了。这是金银街国际青年艺术街区开街，同时也是南大多国文化艺术节开幕。金银街长约200米，号称“一脉金银，百步东西”。它的一侧是中美中心、南京大学海外教育学院、南京大学商学院。金银街与南京大学鼓楼校区有机结合，中外学生在这里生活和学习，“环南大”商圈辐射周边近500家小店：书店、花店、茶室、餐厅、咖啡馆……这里是南京国际化程度最高的地方之一，也是“人与人交流”的大本营。国外有唐人街，南京有金银街。走在金银街，人们能够体验世界多元文化的交融。鼓楼区金银街通往世界。

The opening ceremony of Jinyin Street International Youth Art District and the Nanjing University International Culture and Art Festival. 金银街国际青年艺术街区开街仪式暨南大多国文化艺术节启幕活动。

At the opening ceremony, 13 cultural stalls allowed people to enjoy the multinational experience without going abroad. Chinese students sang “Imagine” in a cappella and “Our Lady of the Underground” in English and performed Rubik’s Cube demonstrations; Korean students showed Korean song and dancing and sang “Daoxiang (Rice Fragrance)” and “Friend” in Chinese; Thai students sang and danced to “Ku Gad” and “Ku Gad” was covered by Chinese with the name of “Lost Love Front Alliance”; Vietnamese students sang Vietnamese songs and displayed the traditional garment Ao Dai; Students from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Ukraine and other countries showed their traditional dancing. Finally, everybody danced together to express this concept of a global village and peaceful unity.

开街仪式上，13个文化摊位让人们不出国体验多国风情；中国学生用阿卡贝拉唱“Imagine”，用英文演唱“Our Lady of the Underground”，还表演了魔方；韩国学生表演韩国歌舞并用中文演唱《稻香》和《朋友》；泰国学生唱跳《欢喜冤家》，这首歌被中文翻唱为《失恋阵线联盟》；越南学生唱着越南歌曲展示传统服饰奥黛；塔吉克斯坦、乌兹别克斯坦、土库曼斯坦、俄罗斯、乌克兰等学生分别展示自己的传统舞蹈，最后共同用舞蹈表现地球村与和平鸽……

“Multi-National Dance Flash Mob” (Photo courtesy of HNC student Mu Di)《多国舞蹈快闪秀》（照片由中美中心学生牟笛提供）

Performances by Korean, Thai and Vietnamese students (Photo courtesy of HNC student Mu Di)韩国、泰国、越南学生的表演（照片由中美中心学生牟笛提供）

Students from the HNC also participated in the opening ceremony. I initiated a dancing group at HNC and invited everyone to dance together. At the opening ceremony, we showed the Chinese classical dance “Golden Wind, Silver Sea, Singing Fishing Boat.” Wan Rongrong, who performed with us, said, “That day, Jinyin Street was full of foreign faces as if this was not Nanjing but abroad. Jinyin Street becomes a center of international exchange, and people are closer to each other. We can’t really understand a country or culture through any medium, but we can feel the warmth of culture through on-site visits or exchanges with local people.” Liang Xiao, another performer, added, “Communication is a shallow mutual recognition and understanding, but also a deep outpouring of true feelings and spiritual connection. People are constantly seeking to communicate with each other to create new and diverse connections and stories. I feel that Jinyin Street is driven by commerce which generates new vitality and enlivens cultural and social life.”

中美中心的学生也参与了开街仪式。笔者在中美中心发起了舞蹈兴趣小组，邀请大家一起来跳舞。开街仪式上，我们展示了中国古典舞《金风银海唱渔舟》。表演舞蹈的万容荣说；“那天的金银街满是外国面孔，仿佛这里不是南京而是国外。金银街从一个街道变成国际交流的中心，人与人的距离更近了。我们无法透过任何媒介真正了解一个国家或者文化，通过实地寻访或者与当地人交流才能感受文化的温度。”另一位表演者梁潇补充说：“交流是浅层的相互认知与了解，也是深层的真情流露与心灵相通。人们不断地追求互相交流，从而创造全新、多样的联系与故事。我感受到金银街由商业带动，生成新活力，活跃文化与社会生活。”

“Golden Wind, Silver Sea, Singing Fishing Boat” (Photo courtesy of Dr. Song Jing)《金风银海唱渔舟》（照片由宋静教授提供）

Chad Higgenbottom, a fellow HNC student, co-founded the Shanghai Composers Workshop, whose goal was to achieve structured musical improvisation. While at the HNC, he launched the “Innovation Band” which pursues “symbiotic improvisation” including music, dancing, painting, poetry, and so on. The band co-creates by focusing on a theme, such as “A Day in the Xuanwu Lake.” The band performed an improvisation of “Friday Jam” at the opening ceremony, using a keyboard, an electric guitar, and a Chinese drum. Jinyin Street makes Chad feel at home, he said, “When you dwell abroad, you require a range of new and improved aptitudes to make the most of the experience. The ability to speak Chinese is an example of a new aptitude I attained — and am still working each day to improve — to provide a basis for stronger relationships with Chinese people. I had practiced intercultural communication in the US before coming here, particularly during undergrad, but participating in group meetings at Starbucks with friends from other countries is a very different matter than living in these friends’ countries! A vastly improved ability to communicate interculturally, which often shows itself as patience or building common context with someone before arriving at conclusions, is one of the pillars of my present life in China. Without it, I could learn little when outside of an academic environment.”

方毅（Chad Higgenbottom）在上海和其他人共同创立了“上海作曲家工作坊”，目标是实现结构化的即兴。来中美中心学习，他发起了“创新乐队”, 追求“共生即兴创作”,包括音乐、舞蹈、绘画、诗歌等艺术。“创新乐队”通常根据一个主题来共同创作，例如“在玄武湖的一天”。“创新乐队”在开街仪式上用键盘、电吉他和中国鼓进行了《即兴礼拜五》（“Friday Jam”）的演出。金银街让方毅有宾至如归的感觉，他说：“当你居住在国外时，你需要一系列新能力来构筑体验。我的新能力之一是中文。我每天都在努力提高中文水平，为与中国人建立更牢固的关系奠定基础。来中国之前，我曾在美国体验过跨文化交流，尤其是在本科期间。但是与外国朋友在咖啡馆参加小组讨论，和生活国外完全不同。我的跨文化沟通能力大幅提高，我更加耐心，争取和人达成共识，这是我在中国生活的支柱之一。没有它，我在校园环境之外几乎学不到新东西。”

The other two performers of the band are Alexander Rosas and Nathan Rose. Alexander has been playing bass guitar for 18 years, and his nickname is Alexander Bassist. He said, “When I came to Nanjing in 2018, there were shops around HNC such as Ivory Fruit café & bar, Old Friends Restaurant, Skyways Bakery, Taiwanese Style Rice, The Uncle Pizza, etc. I went back to Nanjing at the beginning of this year and they are still open. The owner of Ivory Fruit Café is a friend of many foreign students, and we often chat with him when we pick up coffee, and the coffee he makes can be said to be an art. The day after I arrived in Nanjing, I went to eat at The Uncle Pizza, and although three years passed, the female owner immediately recognized me. HNC and Jinyin Street are a community where we create our daily life. I participated in this opening ceremony and worked with everyone to build our community and make the street come alive. Face-to-face conversations and people-to-people exchanges are important, and it is difficult for us to understand each other without communication. I was asked, ‘Why did you come back to China?’ I say that half of my life is in China, and Nanjing is my second hometown. As long as you have a Chinese friend, you are more willing to connect with China. This is true for any country.”

“创新乐队”的另外两位表演者是罗山达（Alexander Rosas）和任宏斌（Nathan Rose）。罗山达弹贝斯吉他已经18年了，他有个绰号叫亚历山大贝斯手（Alexander Bassist），他说：“2018年我来南京的时候，中美中心周边有象牙果咖啡、老地方餐厅、云中食品店、台式烩饭、披萨大叔等这些店。今年年初我回到南京，他们还在。象牙果咖啡的老板是很多外国学生的朋友，我们取咖啡的时候经常和他聊天，他做的咖啡可以说是艺术。我到南京第二天就去披萨大叔那里吃饭，虽然过了三年，但是披萨大叔的女店主马上认出了我。中美中心和金银街是一个共同体，我们在这里创造生活。这次开街我参与其中，和大家共同构建我们的社区，让街道活起来。面对面交谈、人与人交流很重要，没有交流我们很难理解彼此。有人问我为什么要回到中国？我说我的一半人生在中国，南京是我的第二故乡。你只要有一个中国朋友，就会更愿意和中国建立联系。这对任何国家都是同样的道理。”

Nathan loves to perform with a big smile. As for his experience in Nanjing, he says, “Before I came to China, it was actually difficult to communicate with people online. After coming to the HNC, people-to-people communication occurs naturally. You can have a chat after class or during meals. If I wasn’t in China, maybe I could easily have a negative impression of China. Because if you’re not in the local area, you’re easily influenced by other people’s opinions, such as those experts who can’t speak Chinese. We need to focus on real people, flesh-and-blood people. When faced with real people and environments, we will form individual experiences. After coming to the HNC, I realized many possibilities that I never expected. I tried the Chinese drum, Erhu, Guzheng, Guqin, and calligraphy. I use Western rhythms to play the Chinese drum, and music knows no borders.”

任宏斌喜欢笑着表演，“我来中国之前，在网上其实很难实现人与人交流。来中美中心之后，人与人交流自然发生。下课之后或者吃饭的时候都可以聊一聊。如果我不在中国，可能我很容易对中国有负面的印象。因为如果你不在当地，你很容易受到别人观点的影响，比如那些不会说中文的专家的观点。我们要关注真实的、有血有肉的人。面对真实的人和环境，我们会形成个体的经验。来中美中心之后，我实现了很多从来没想到的可能性，我尝试了中国鼓、二胡、古筝、古琴、书法。我用西方节奏来打中国鼓，音乐无国界。”

“Friday Jam”（Photo courtesy of Dr. Song Jing）《即兴礼拜五》（照片由宋静教授提供）

Shen Sheng, a student of HNC and a member of the Nanjing University Folk Orchestra, has traveled to Germany, Switzerland, and France to play Erhu, and has performed with the orchestra in many countries. She played the classic Erhu song “Pentium Horses.” Shen Sheng felt very happy that she could bring performances showing national characteristics to students from all over the world and felt the charm of the diverse cultures of all countries in Jinyin Street. Shen Sheng said, “Communication makes us understand each other better—it enhances feelings and shortens distances. For example, before I met my classmate Doron Shapir, I never understood what the original intention of vegetarianism was. But after talking to him, I learned more about vegetarianism, and I fully understand his concern for animals and the natural environment.”

中美中心学生沈圣是南京大学民乐团成员，她曾经前往德国、瑞士、法国演奏二胡，并且跟随乐团出访多个国家演出。她演奏了二胡经典曲目《战马奔腾》。沈圣非常开心，因为能够和各国学生一起带来展现民族特色的表演，在金银街感受各国多元文化的魅力。沈圣说，“交流使我们更加了解彼此，增进感情、缩短距离。比如在接触到我的同学董容（Doron Shapir）之前，我一直不理解素食主义者的初衷是什么？但是和他交流之后，我对素食主义有了进一步了解，我充分理解他对动物和自然环境的关心。”

“Pentium Horses “（Photo courtesy of Shen Sheng）《战马奔腾》（照片由沈圣提供）

Dr. Song Jing, a visiting scholar at the HNC, brought a camera to record the grandeur of the opening ceremony as an audience. He believed that globalization is not only economic globalization but also cultural globalization. He said, “Jinyin Street is a window for the world to see China. International students from all over the world gather here and constantly shine with the culture. This is especially valuable in the context of anti-globalization. The sustainable development of cultural globalization requires the support of cultural platforms, the participation of international contacts, and grounded exchanges. The HNC has innate advantages and is the leader of Jinyin Street international culture. In the process of creating a new form of human civilization, Jinyin Street is a new space for the coordinated development of multi-dimensional civilization and a new driving force for the development of civilization itself. Civilizational exchanges, mutual learning, and coexistence transcend civilizational barriers, conflicts, and superiority. Every day of living in Jinyin Street, we all feel, enjoy, and create culture, and spread culture in people-to-people communication, and we are all practitioners of the mission of civilization.”

宋静教授是中美中心的访问学者，他作为观众带着相机记录了金银街开街的盛况。他认为全球化不仅是经济全球化，更是文化的全球化， “金银街是世界看中国的一扇窗口。各国留学生在此欢聚，不断焕发出世界文化的风采。在逆全球化的背景之下，这尤为珍贵。文化全球化的可持续发展需要文化平台的支撑，需要国际人脉的参与，更需要接地气的交流。中美中心有先天的优势，也是金银街国际文化的引领者。在创造人类文明新形态的过程中，金银街是一个案例，代表着多维度文明协调发展的新空间、激活文明自身发展新动力。以文明交流超越文明隔阂，以文明互鉴超越文明冲突，以文明共存超越文明优越。生活在金银街的每一天，我们都在人与人交流中感受文化、享受文化、创造文化、传播文化，都是文明使命的实践者。”

On the afternoon of April 21, HNC held a scavenger hunt on Jinyin Street, and the treasures were hidden in the small shops. Participants can pick up clue notes to find out the treasure and receive a reward—shopping coupons. Residents and passers-by actively participated. A group of Germans went back and forth on Jinyin Street to search for treasure, and would never give up until they found the hidden treasure; An 80-year-old professor of Nanjing University happily hunts for treasure with young people. Wu Wenjuan, a student of HNC, was a volunteer to explain the rules of the game. “It is enjoyable to be a volunteer! The clues of the game are related to Jinyin Street, if you did not know enough about Jinyin Street before, then you must know more through the game. I think a lot of people respect the rules of the game and have the spirit of the game,” she said, “Chinese people, foreigners, the young, the elderly, residents, stall owners, and shop assistants all participated. People who don’t know each other get to know each other through the game, and they help each other in the game, and everyone gets along very well.”

4月21日下午，中美中心举办金银街寻宝活动，宝贝就藏在金银街小店里。参与者可以领取线索纸条参与寻宝游戏并获得奖励——金银街购物优惠券。周围居民和过路行人踊跃参与，一群德国人在金银街上来来回回寻宝，不找到藏宝绝不放弃；一位80多岁的南京大学老教授，开心地和年轻人一起寻宝。中美中心学生吴文娟是藏宝游戏的志愿者，为大家讲解游戏规则，“这次做志愿者体验非常愉快！藏宝游戏的线索和金银街有关，如果说以前大家对金银街认识不够，那么通过寻宝游戏大家肯定更了解金银街。我觉得很多人都尊重游戏规则，也有游戏精神。”吴文娟补充说，“中国人、外国人、年轻人、老年人、居民、摊主、店员都来参加。互不相识的人们通过游戏认识了，他们在游戏中互相帮助，大家都友好相处。”