University of Macau Moon Chun Memorial College concluded an experiential learning exchange trip to Henan Province, China, held from 22 to 27 December 2025. Led by College Master Professor Kwok-Cheung Cheung and Resident Fellow Dr. Peggy Lau, 12 students dived in an immersion journey into the cultural heartland of China.

The History of Henan is Half the History of China

This cultural study program was designed as a rigorous academic field experience, emphasizing “learning through participation and reflection.”  Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective that integrates history, philosophy, religion, architecture, and art, the project sought to foster a holistic understanding of the Chinese history and culture through systematic on-site investigations across three core dimensions.

I. The Cultural Heritage of the Central Plains Civilization

The group systematically examined representative relics from various periods of the Central Plains civilization, following a historical sequence. The journey began at the Songyang Academy, one of the Four Great Academies of the Song Dynasty, where students participated in a traditional “Worship of Confucius” ceremony. Its intact lecture halls and sacrificial system vividly demonstrate the institutional form of ancient Chinese Confucian education.

Subsequently, at the Yinxu Museum, through oracle bone inscriptions and bronze ritual vessels, researchers reconstructed the social structure and belief systems of the late Shang Dynasty.

The Luoyang Yingtianmen Gate Site, with its spatial layout and ritual regulations of the Sui and Tang dynasties’ capital architecture, reveals the political philosophy embedded in ancient Chinese urban planning.

The systematic collections of the Henan Museum and the Luoyang Museum provided researchers with a complete chain of evidence for the development of material culture in the Central Plains region from the Neolithic Age to the Ming and Qing dynasties.

These sites collectively form a multidimensional civilizational research framework encompassing intellectual systems, text creation, and institutional development.

II. The Historical Trajectory of Buddhism in China

On the level of religious culture, the group focused on the localization of Buddhism. As the symbol of Buddhism’s formal introduction to China, the architectural layout and statue style of the White Horse Temple represent the initial fusion of Indian Buddhist art with Central Plains aesthetics.

The Shaolin Temple demonstrates the deep integration of Buddhist thought with indigenous Chinese practical systems such as martial arts and medicine, reflecting innovation in religious practice through localization.

The Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its statue sequences carved over centuries, provide a complete record of the localization process of Buddhist artistic style from the Northern Wei to the Tang Dynasty. The harmonious and full aesthetic characteristics displayed by the Tang statues, in particular, mark a significant sign of Buddhist art’s complete integration into the Chinese cultural system.

These religious relics together construct a complete historical trajectory of Buddhism’s dissemination, adaptation, and innovation in China.

III. The Cultural Expression of Daoist Thought

The group also focused on the concrete manifestations of Daoist thought in spatial construction and life practice. The Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden, a spatial reconstruction based on the painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, not only recreates the urban landscape of Bianjing in the Song Dynasty but also, on a deeper level, showcases the permeation and influence of the Daoist view of nature in secular social life.

Mount Laojun, as a sacred Daoist site, perfectly embodies the philosophy of “Dao following nature” in its spatial design, through the organic integration of its temple architecture with the natural mountain topography.

The group also visited the Shangqing Palace, a Taoist ancestral temple that serves as an important historical testament to the development of Chinese Taoism and the culture of imperial worship.

These sites demonstrate the diverse expressions and practical paths of Daoist thought in Chinese culture from the dimensions of secular life and religious practice, respectively.

As part of the program’s scholarly framework, students conducted group research on assigned topics before the trip and prepared a post-trip presentation for the college community. This initiative underscores MCM College’s commitment to advancing cultural literacy and critical insight through immersive, first-hand academic experiences, truly realizing the goal of “understanding the weight of Chinese history and heritage through travel.”