In July, the “Rural Culture Museums” Practice Research Team of Zhejiang Ocean University (ZJOU) visited multiple rural museums in Zhoushan. They produced short English video guides to showcase the unique charm of local island rural culture to the world through international communication.

On July 8, the “Rural Culture Museums” Practice Research Team of ZJOU poses for a group photo in front of the Puppetry Exhibition Hall in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province.

On July 8, the team visited the Puppetry Exhibition Hall in Shuangqiao Subdistrict, Dinghai district, Zhoushan, where they filmed an English-guided tour video.

Over the past two years, their video series “There’s a Museum in the Countryside” has gained over 800,000 views on platforms including “Learning Power” (Xuexi Qiangguo), CMG’s Yangshipin, and Tide News. These efforts have not only raised awareness of rural museums but also boosted visitor numbers. This year, the team collaborated with professional translators from ZJOU’s School of Foreign Languages to enhance the international influence of these cultural treasures.

Yuan Jiale, a team member, explaining the development history of glove puppetry to the group.

The inspiration to transform museum culture into English short videos originated from an encounter during last year’s research trip. “While conducting fieldwork, we met some foreign visitors who were interested in the exhibits, but most museums lacked English explanations”, recalled Chen Suxian, an English education major at ZJOU. “This motivated us to bridge the gap and introduce rural museum culture to global audiences”.

Tao Junhai, advisor of the project, guiding team members on the content of their English video.

Special attention was given to accurately conveying cultural connotations. For instance, when introducing glove puppetry—a treasured Chinese folk art—the team retained poetic and imagery-rich expressions such as “Guardians at the Fingertips” and “the Sentiments Woven by Fingertips”. Their goal was not only to help international audiences understand the exhibits, but also to appreciate the deep cultural heritage they embody and evoke emotional resonance.

“This is more than a practice—it’s a meaningful application of knowledge,” emphasized Tao Junhai, an English teacher from the School of Foreign Languages. “The project allowed students to truly grasp the idea that ‘language is a bridge to culture’’. By stepping beyond the classroom and translating Zhoushan’s local stories and cultural symbols into accurate and engaging English, students helped share our heritage with the world and served the community in the process”.

Team members and their advisor in the exhibition hall and listening to the guide’s explanation.

Chen Lu, the curator of the Puppetry Exhibition Hall in Shuangqiao, Dinghai, also praised the team’s innovative attempt: “This initiative allows people from various countries to learn about this intangible cultural heritage of China, which is truly significant”.

Looking ahead, the “Rural Culture Museums” Practice Research Team will continue to dedicate itself to the international promotion of Zhoushan’s rural museums. They plan to develop core story databases tailored for each rural museum, thoroughly exploring and showcasing their unique cultural genes. By sharing these stories, they hope to bring China’s maritime culture and local traditions to the world and further advance the international exchange of Chinese culture.