Malaysian youth experience woodblock print art in Kunming

A group of Malaysian students recently visited the Yunnan Nationalities Museum in Kunming, where they explored an intangible cultural heritage item of Yunnan province.

Amirul Iman Bin Ahmad Razlan, a student from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, created a Jia Ma rubbing, a centuries-old woodblock print tradition once used in folk rituals to invoke blessings and protect families.

"It's a good opportunity to immerse myself in the Chinese culture, especially in the Yunnan region," he said. "And it's a good exposure for me to expand my horizons."

"What I saw with my own eyes in Yunnan was actually very impressive, with the technology and things that are not present in the rest of the world yet," he added.

Nik Muhammad Adam Hakimi Bin Mohd Fahimi, a fellow student at the same university, noted that even when separated by mountains and oceans, people could share and learn from each other.

They are part of a bilateral youth exchange program, organized by Yunnan University, that brought 41 university students from China and Malaysia together in October to explore cultural similarities and share their experiences in heritage conservation.