Original title:

Italian blogger Ruili's "Lucky" Story: Crossing the Ancient and Modern Times to Build a Communication Bridge

BEIJING, Hangzhou, June 16 (Xiang Jing) More than 700 years ago, Marco Polo, a famous Italian traveler, told the world about the beauty of China's Grand Canal with a travel note.

"Today, I want to use short videos to tell global netizens the new story and new style of the Grand Canal." On the 15th, Ruili, the "post-90s" Italian Internet blogger, put on her old clothes and took a short video while feeling the ancient and modern canal.

Ruili is cheerful, confident and can speak fluent Chinese. Because she likes Chinese culture, Ruili came to China to study ten years ago. She fell in love with He Junjie, an Anhui boy, at first sight and then entered into marriage.

In 2020, Ruili registered an account on the network platform of "Luka and Ruili", appeared on camera by herself and photographed by her husband, opening the way for bloggers. In the past five years, millions of netizens at home and abroad have seen the real and three-dimensional China through the lens of this Chinese daughter-in-law.

Looking at its short video, we can see both the magnificent mountains and rivers of China and the authentic local customs. However, Ruili admitted in an exclusive interview, "Compared with the West Lake, I know less about the canal culture."

This year marks the 10th anniversary of China's Grand Canal's successful application for World Heritage and the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death. As the 10th anniversary of China's Grand Canal's successful application for World Heritage and one of the Beijing Hangzhou dialogue activities of the 2024 Grand Canal Cultural Belt, the "New Marco Polo's Travels" gathering group of the millennium canal set out from Beijing, went down along the Grand Canal and arrived in Hangzhou on the 15th. At Hangzhou Station, Ruili "incarnated" contemporary Marco Polo, visited the Millennium Canal and experienced Chinese culture.

Cross dressing is the first step. Dressing, makeup, hairpin...... At the "Lin'an Twelve Hour" Han clothing store near the Gongchen Bridge in Hangzhou, Ruili selected a lavender Han clothing made in the Song Dynasty, which was decorated with several flowers and butterflies, and then the makeup artist repaired his appearance and curled his hair.

"It's the first time to wear a Han suit, and the Song made hairpin flowers are more beautiful and exquisite than I expected," Ruili said happily to the camera.

Dressed in ancient clothes, Ruili walked on the centuries old Gongchen Bridge and left a beautiful group photo with the canal. Standing on the top of the bridge, looking ahead, the river is vast, cargo ships and passenger ships are slowly moving forward, and waves are splashing on the shore. There are many shops along the river, and tourists come and go.

"The Gongchen Bridge connects the east and the west, and the canal connects the north and the south. Starting from here, you can reach Beijing, so the canal really raises a lot of people." Ruili sighed.

Walking southward along the river, Ruili was attracted by the painting "Gongshu Prosperity Since Ancient Times" in Wu Liren Folk Art Museum. Wu Liren, the author of the painting and the founder of the Canal Painting School, told Ruili that this painting was specially painted by him when the Grand Canal was successfully applied for World Heritage on June 22, 2014, which depicts the style and features of Gongchen Bridge at that time.

"Through this painting, I can see what the canal looked like ten years ago. The Gongchen Bridge has not changed, and there are still many boats on the river, which is very surprising." Ruili said that, not only are canal paintings, she also saw more and more canal elements integrated into life, such as the launch of postcards, poker, fans and other cultural and creative products, "It allows tourists to understand the canal culture while experiencing it".

After that, Ruili began to learn Chinese painting under the guidance of Li Ren Wu. Bridge openings, bridge railings, bridge pillars, piers, cargo ships... Soon, a Chinese painting with the theme of Gongchen Bridge came out.

"Chinese painting is very interesting. It looks simple, but it is actually difficult." Ruili said that this is her first time to learn Chinese painting. "I want to take this painting back to Italy, show it to my parents, and let them feel the canal scenery through the painting."

The Grand Canal carries a long history and culture, and nourishes generations of canal families. In the "Mianhui" shop along the coast, the owner Zhou Yi and her family have grown up by the canal for four generations. When arriving at the store, Zhou Yi's daughter took out the cartoon book of canal culture and introduced Ruili to canal life.

"Telling stories about the canal from the perspective of children is also a good way of cultural transmission, which can let the flowing canal context pass down from generation to generation," Ruili said.

As said, people are the best carrier for cultural exchanges and mutual learning. Once, Marco Polo visited China along the Grand Canal and built a bridge for the exchange of Eastern and Western civilizations. Now, Ruili is also familiar with Chinese culture in her own way to show her Chinese stories to international friends.

"I want to build a bridge with short videos to attract countless contemporary Marco Polo to China to be 'lucky'," Ruili said.

It is reported that the activities of the gathering group were undertaken by China News Weekly, China News Hyatt Media Group Co., Ltd., the Information Office of Hangzhou Municipal People's Government, Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Cultural Heritage (Hangzhou Grand Canal Cultural Heritage Protection and Management Office), Hangzhou Business Travel Group (Hangzhou Grand Canal Group), Gongshu District People's Government, Linping District People's Government, Zhejiang Branch of China News Agency, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism Supported by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage, Beijing Tongzhou District Party Committee Publicity Department, Capital Library, Beijing Grand Canal Museum, Hangzhou Jinghang Canal (Hangzhou Section) Comprehensive Protection Center, Hangzhou Gongshu District Party Committee Publicity Department, and Hangzhou Linping District Party Committee Publicity Department.