As early summer returns to Jinling, another graduation season quietly unfolds. On May 15, the International Student Cultural Healing Workshop at Nanjing University presented a special farewell event titled "Yuhua Stones, Nanyong Grace." Students from across the world gathered to transform stone into a vessel of memory. As they wandered through the century-old campus and shaped each piece with their fingertips, they attuned themselves to the cultural pulse of Nanjing, sensed the gravity of their university’s history, and distilled fleeting moments of campus life into palm-sized keepsakes—quietly restorative mementos of their years at Nanjing University before parting ways.
Stone Hunt: Unlocking Hidden Histories on Campus
After a brief opening, students formed random groups and drew clue cards printed with landmark icons of the historic Gulou Campus. Each card held a fragment of NJU’s cultural code, waiting to be deciphered. Curiosity sparked, the teams set off on an immersive stone-seeking adventure.
Beneath towering ancient trees, they wandered past the North Tower where ivy rippled in the breeze, and brushed against the time-worn grey bricks of the old library that still murmur stories of the past. Volunteers guided them along the way, unfurling the tales behind each landmark: from the founding vision of the Liangjiang Normal School to the unbroken scholarly chorus that persisted through the wartime National Southwestern Associated University. As the students tracked down the landmarks on their cards, they gathered Yuhua stones scattered across the campus. With every step, the depth of a century of history settled quietly into their hearts.
Stone Stories: Decoding Nanjing's Cultural Genes
When the treasure hunt ended, a vivid lecture drew everyone into the wondrous world of Yuhua stones. The instructor began with geology, unveiling how volcanic eruptions millions of years ago and endless river polishing sculpted these "heaven-sent national treasures, a marvel of China." Then the narrator turned to cultural implications—from the stone-appreciation craze of Six Dynasties literati to the collecting passion of modern scholars. Hence, a single stone holds not only nature’s artistry but also the profound cultural memory of Nanjing itself.
Seated together, the students turned the stones over in their hands. Some were veined like ink-wash landscape paintings, others blazed with the colours of sunset clouds, and a few bore uncanny likenesses to living creatures. Gasps of wonder mingled with a quiet, growing reverence for the land beneath their feet.
Hot Glue Creations: Setting Memories in Stone with Warm Fingertips
The most eagerly anticipated session, hot-melt crafting, brought the atmosphere to a joyful peak. Volunteers first introduced the instructions of glue guns before demonstrating techniques for composing Yuhua stone collages, after which participants were invited to create freely. The room soon dissolved into a warm and concentrated hush, only dotted with the crisp snip of scissors against cardstock and the faint sizzle of glue guns at work.
Some participants recreated the silhouette of the North Tower, piecing together the campus skyline in stone. Others wove in the landscapes of their hometowns. A few let their imaginations roam, composing playful animals or abstract designs. Cold, ordinary pebbles came alive under the warmth of fingertips and the spark of creativity, transformed into soulful works of art.
Heartfelt Sharing: Drawing Closer through Cultural Encounters
When the crafting drew to a close, each group chose a representative to present their artwork and share what the day had stirred in their hearts. Students from different countries and disciplines sat together, speaking freely about creative inspirations, the joy of making, and the bittersweet mood of graduation. For many, this was their last summer on campus—or even their last summer in China.
The workshop offered participants an opportunity to rediscover the university they cherish through renewed eyes and to forge friendship with peers from around the world. Far more than a simple craft activity, it became an animated exchange of cultures, memories, and affections. The afternoon concluded with a group photograph, preserving the warmth and quiet solace of the occasion in a single frame. Each stone artwork now holds within it memories of Nanjing University and moments of cross-cultural companionship. May every NJU student setting out toward new horizons carry with them a fragment of Jinling’s gentleness, and continue onward with resilience, brilliance, and lustre.
Writer: Wang Ziyan
Editor: Guo Junlin
