A street full of cultural surprises

"Careful. That's it. One step at a time." At the community center on Chang'an Street in Shenyang, Liaoning province, a group of international students was attempting traditional Chinese stilts under the guidance of their Chinese instructors. As Muhammad Masood from Pakistan gripped his instructor's hand tightly while taking his first step on the stilts, his fellow students cheered him on enthusiastically.

On Monday, 29 students from over 10 countries and five universities in Shenyang gathered at the community center to explore various aspects of traditional Chinese culture.

After watching an impressive stilt performance, the students were captivated by this unique folk art and eagerly volunteered to try it for themselves.

"The performers make it look so effortless, but it wasn't until I tried it myself that I realized how much balance and skill it requires," said Tran Thi Minh Nguyet from Vietnam.

At the center's dough modeling demonstration booth, Phroeskaew Pannaray from Thailand watched in awe as a local inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage skillfully molded the dough into a lifelike snake in just minutes, celebrating the Year of the Snake. "This is amazing," she marveled.

Though Pannaray's own attempt to mold a snake resulted in a slightly crooked shape, after a few tries, she was pleased with her progress.

"At least it finally looks like a snake," she laughed.