Dialogue with The Earth

Organizer: Jiangsu University "Belt and Road" Cultural Center

Person in charge: Danny Dong

1. Project Background and Purpose

Pearl S. Buck, the Nobel Prize winner in Literature, deeply depicted the hard life of Chinese farmers in the early 20th century with her masterpiece The Good Earth. Today, after China has achieved a well-off society, rural life has undergone earth-shaking changes. This project intends to invite American college students who love Chinese culture to visit many rural areas in China, conduct field interviews, record and cultural interaction activities for 30 days, and start a cross-temporal dialogue with The Good Earth from the "foreign youth perspective". This move not only responds to the country's strategic call for "telling China's story well", but will also become an important part of Jiangsu University's response to the "50,000 in 5 years" Sino-US youth exchange plan.

II. Project Objectives

1. Build a bridge for cultural dialogue between Chinese and American youth and explore the contemporary face of Chinese rural society;

2. Cultivate cross-cultural communication talents with an international perspective;

3. Output high-quality research results and provide folk case samples for national cultural strategies and rural revitalization policies;

4. Increase the international visibility of rural China through art lectures and new media communications.

III. Project Form and Content

1. Send three American college students to join Chinese personnel to form a "Youth Cultural Observation Group";

2. Visit rural areas in Jiangsu, Anhui, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and other places that are representative of regional culture;

3. Every time you go to a place:

o Foreign students conduct interviews and photography in English (topics: life, education, generations, cultural heritage, etc.)

o Published 1 English research diary (with Chinese translation)

o Shoot a 1-2 minute video and upload it to social media (TikTok, Bilibili, Instagram, etc.)

o Professor Danny held an art lecture (Topic: Literature, Music and Cultural Identity)

IV. Expected results

1. Video results: 10-15 episodes of "Chinese and American Youth Look at Rural China" short video

2. Textual output: English interview diary collection published (in Chinese and English)

3. Academic achievements: Research reports submitted to Jiangsu University and reported to national ministries/local propaganda departments/Overseas Chinese Federations and other institutions

4. Public impact: Art lecture activity report media exposure materials

V. Implementation Plan (Proposed)

· Project preparation period: April to June 2025 (student selection, interview training, route confirmation)

· Field implementation period: July-August 2025 (30 days)

· Output period: September to December 2025 (report writing, publication planning, lecture summary)

VI. Funding Description (Supported by scientific research funds)

· Round-trip air tickets and living expenses for foreign students: about RMB 20,000 per person

· Filming equipment, transportation, accommodation and translation assistance: about RMB 50,000

· Expenses for editing and publishing of achievements and art lectures: about RMB 30,000

· Total estimated expenditure: approximately RMB 120,000 (additional funds can be raised if the scale is expanded)

VII. Additional Notes

1. This project will be registered with the Jiangsu University "Belt and Road" Cultural Center as one of the important contents of the creation of provincial and ministerial platforms;

2. The project results are expected to participate in subsequent applications for the National Social Science and Art Fund, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s external communication special project, etc.

3. This project is a pilot project of Jiangsu University's "International Youth Cultural Co-creation Plan".