Dongchang district in Liaocheng, Shandong province, is doing its best to preserve the Chinese gourd carving arts, which is part of Chinese cultural heritage and has a history of more than 500 years in the area.

Recently, the Dongchang gourd carving promotional event was held at the prestigious Confucius Institute of Chungbuk National University in Cheongju, South Korea, one of the top public universities in the country.

Students of the Confucius Institute, Chungbuk National University, watch the video featuring the Dongchang gourd carving. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_dad664b4ddf4]

The "Chinese excellent culture film and television communication" project team organized the event at Liaocheng University.

During the promotional event, a serial was played to display the history, inheritance, value, and craft of Dongchang gourd carving.

A PhD student from Liaocheng University shows how to make gourd carving and painting. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_dad664b4ddf4]

After watching the short videos, South Korean students tried their hands at gourd carving and painting under the guidance of a PhD student from Liaocheng University.

In Chinese culture, gourd, or "Hulu" in Chinese, sounds similar to the Chinese characters "fu," which means good fortune, and "lu," which means wealth. For their auspicious meaning, gourd-related handicrafts have been very popular among the Chinese since ancient times.

A South Korean student learns gourd carving and painting. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_dad664b4ddf4]

South Korean students try their hands at gourd carving and painting. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_dad664b4ddf4]

South Korean students show the gourd carving and painting they make. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_dad664b4ddf4]