“Glamour of the Gourd – Gourd Culture Tour along the Silk Road” U.S. Exhibition
In order to implement President Xi Jinping’s advocacy of telling the Chinese stories to spread Chinese culture overseas, and promote the “Belt and Road” Initiative, on December 4, 2017, “Glamor of the Gourd – Gourd Culture Tour along the Silk Road” arrived at Missouri State University. The exhibition told the Chinese gourd stories and spread traditional Chinese culture to American friends via an elaborate gourd culture show, attracting wide attention among local friends from all walks of life.
密苏里州立大学常务副校长弗兰克•英海利格博士、副校长贝克先生等热情接待了扈鲁等专家学者。座谈会上，双方分别介绍了两校国际化发展情况，就进一步开展师生互访深造、共同开展科研合作以及文化艺术交流等方面进行了探讨，并达成了多项合作意向。会谈后，扈鲁一行在密苏里州立大学艺术设计系主任旺达亚伯利女士的陪同下，参观了艺术设计系各专业创作室，观看了师生艺术作品展，观摩了课堂教学等。在素描写生课堂上，扈鲁看到了静物台上所摆放的不同造型的几个葫芦，接着亲切地与师生们就葫芦文化艺术进行了深入交流，介绍了这次来访还将参加贵校艺术节并举行葫芦文化艺术展演，旺达亚伯利和师生们认为，来自中国的葫芦文化艺术展演，一定会成为密苏里州立大学本届文化艺术节的一大亮点，对展演充满了期待。
Hu Lu and other experts and scholars received warm welcome from Dr. Frank A. Einhellig, Executive Vice President, Mr. Baker, Vice President and other leaders of Missouri State University. The two sides introduced respectively their internationalization initiatives, and further discussed teacher-student exchanging and mutual visits, scientific research cooperation and cultural and artistic exchanges, and reached agreements on future cooperation. After the talks, accompanied by Ms. Vonda K. Yarberry, Head of Art and Design Department of Missouri State University, the delegation visited the studios of the Department, watched the exhibition of works by teachers and students, and visited classroom teaching. In a sketch class, Mr. Hu saw several differently modelled gourds, and then he talked with the teacher and students about gourd culture. Mr. Hu said he would participate in the school’s art festival and give a gourd culture art performance. Ms. Vonda K. Yarberry, as well as the teacher and students believed that the gourd culture art performance from China would highlight the year’s festival, and they were waiting with eager for the performance.
下午，密苏里州立大学文化艺术节在该校国际中心举行，“最葫芦•葫芦文化丝路行”走进美国，，作为此次文化艺术节的特邀活动和重头戏，带着浓郁的中国味和宽广的国际视野在艺术节上隆重上演。
In the afternoon, Missouri State University’s art festival was held at the university’s international center. As a special activity and highlight of the festival, “Glamour of the Gourd – Gourd Culture Tour along the Silk Road” U.S. Exhibition with a Chinese flavor appeared on the scene
下午2:00开幕式正式开始，国际中心展演现场布置庄重大方，主席台上方悬挂着中美两国国旗和密苏里州立大学校旗，会场气氛热烈。美国葫芦协会第一副会长雷蒙•柯南先生，密苏里州葫芦展示协会主席沃特曼女士，密苏里州立大学艺术系主任旺达亚伯利女士、艺术系师生，当地葫芦文化爱好者以及近百个国家的留学生代表出席了展演开幕式。开幕式由密苏里州立大学副校长、扎克公共电视台著名主持人贝克先生主持。
The opening ceremony began at 2 pm, and the atmosphere was warm with the national flags of the two countries and the Missouri State University’s flag hung above the stage. Mr. Raymond Conan, First Vice President of the American Gourd Society, Ms. Waterman, president of Missouri Gourd Display Association, Vonda K. Yarberry, Head of Art and Design Department, teachers and students of the art department, local gourd culture lovers, and representatives of international students from nearly 100 countries attended the opening ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by Mr. Baker, Vice President of Missouri State University and famous host of Zach public television network.
贝克在开幕式上向全体嘉宾隆重介绍了来自中国的艺术家扈鲁一行，称赞“最葫芦•葫芦文化丝路行”的到来，大大提升了密苏里州立大学本届文化艺术节的艺术性，对此他表示了由衷的感谢。
At the ceremony, Mr. Baker introduced the delegation of the Chinese artists headed by Mr. Hu, and praised “Glamor of the Gourd – Gourd Culture Tour along the Silk Road” for its contribution to the artistic value of the art festival, for which he expressed his heartfelt appreciation.
美国葫芦协会副会长柯南在开幕式上致词。他高度评价了此次美中葫芦文化交流活动，对来自中国的葫芦文化研究著名学者扈鲁先生表示热烈欢迎，对扈鲁先生在推动葫芦文化全球化所做的贡献表示由衷的敬佩和感谢。他回顾了近年赴中国探寻葫芦文化的所见所闻，了解到在中国，葫芦不仅意味着幸福，而且还可以帮助人们实现幸福。在中国的历史上，葫芦有数以百计的用途，例如：几个世纪以前的葫芦碗、葫芦花瓶、葫芦做的蟋蟀笼、葫芦乐器以及用葫芦做成的人物塑像等等，接着，他又介绍了美国的葫芦文化艺术开展情况，柯南先生希望以此为契机，加强美中两国葫芦文化艺术交流。
Mr. Conan, Vice President of the American Gourd Society, gave a speech at the opening ceremony. He spoke highly of the exchanges of gourd culture between the two countries, and gave warm welcome to the famous Chinese gourd culture scholar Hu Lu, and expressed his sincere admiration for Mr. Hu for his contribution to the globalization of gourd culture. He recalled his journey in recent years to China exploring gourd culture, in which he learned that the gourd in China not only symbolizes happiness, but also helps people to gain happiness. In China’s history, the gourd can find its use in lots of aspects, and several centuries ago, they were made into a variety of things such as bowls, vases, cricket cages, instruments and figurines. Then he introduced the latest developments in American gourd culture. Mr. Conan expressed his willingness to use this exhibition as an opportunity to enhance the cultural and artistic exchanges between the two countries.
致词中，柯南还宣读了美国葫芦协会会长塞西尔•加里森女士给扈鲁先生的信。塞西尔•加里森女士在信中代表美国葫芦协会成千上万的来自美国各地的葫芦文化爱好者，对扈鲁先生表达了诚挚的欢迎，对其本人因在加利福尼亚忙于事务而无法到场表示歉意。她在信中说到：“我很感激能够把我们对葫芦文化的共同兴趣和热爱与你们分享，葫芦在我们人类共同的祖先和历史上是最重要的植物。我们由此感受到了代代相传的延续和当今文化在全世界的联系。正如在中国几个世纪之前的祖先一样，我们也在种植、装饰和把玩葫芦的过程中收获了快乐。正如它带给你们的一样，它也给我们的家庭带来了快乐和满足。我很开心地得知我们葫芦协会的副会长柯南先生和密苏里协会的会长沃特曼女士以及协会的主管都在这里和你的团队、以及你的东道主密苏里州立大学在一起。我确信他们能够把因你们与我们同在而感受到的快乐感染给你们。”
Mr. Conan also read the letter from Ms. Cecil Garrison, President of the American Gourd Society, who, on behalf of thousands of gourd culture lovers across America, expressed her sincere welcome to Mr. Hu, and apologized for her absence caused by her business in California. She wrote in the letter, “I am most grateful that we can share with you our common interest and love for the gourd culture. The gourd is the most important plant in humankind’s history. Therefore, we get to understand the cultural inheritance and association between cultures. Like what Chinese ancestors did centuries ago, we took pleasure in the process of planting, decorating and appreciating the gourd. It brings to our families the same happiness and satisfaction as it brings to you. I am glad to learn that Mr. Conan, Vice President of the American Gourd Society, Ms. Waterman, president of Missouri Gourd Display Association, and others heads of the Association are here with your delegation and your host Missouri State University. I am sure you will be infected with the happiness of staying with each other.”
随后，美国密苏里州葫芦展示协会主席沃特曼女士致词，对扈鲁先生一行的到来表示诚挚的欢迎，对本次美国葫芦文化艺术的交流表示热烈的祝贺。她简要介绍了密苏里州葫芦展示协会。葫芦展示协会是1997年成立的非盈利组织，美国葫芦协会现有25个分会，这是美国葫芦协会的第14个分会，由喜欢分享、对葫芦艺术有天赋的人组成，现有100余名成员，遍布整个美国。协会成员在密苏里州一年相聚四次，每年四月都有一年一度的葫芦展。协会的宗旨是通过推广葫芦艺术媒介来支持艺术发展，鼓励青少年和成年人通过节日研讨会、比赛等形式来了解葫芦艺术。
Later, Ms. Waterman, President of the Missouri Gourd Display Association expressed sincere welcome to Mr. Hu and his delegation. She extended warm congratulations on the gourd culture exchange activity in the United States and made a brief introduction to Missouri Gourd Display Association, a non-profit organization founded in 1997, which is the 14th among the 25 branches of American Gourd Society. Its membership has now reached some 100 across the United States, all of whom have talent in gourd art and enjoy sharing. They hold meetings in Missouri four times each year, and in every April, there is an annual gourd exhibition. The Association aims at supporting artistic progress by the medium of gourd art, encouraging the youth and adults to learn more about the gourd art by forms of symposium and contest.
在谈到自己是如何喜爱上葫芦时，沃特曼说：“退休之前，我是一名护士助手，在手术室工作了29年。一天我和我的丈夫去密苏里州的布兰森，在那里我看见挂着的一些葫芦，他们想要三十五美元，他们仅仅是在葫芦里面钻了一个洞。然后我们去了银元城，在那里我们看到了很多被装饰绘画的美丽的葫芦。然后我想‘我也能做到’。回家之后，我在网络上查阅了一下葫芦艺术，从此我就迷上了葫芦，而且我的生活从此变得不一样，这就是我如何开始的。我喜欢在它们上面雕琢，绘画和木刻，你还可以做很多。最后葫芦会告诉你它们想成为的样子。”她表示，非常感谢扈鲁先生能够邀请密苏里州葫芦展示协会的成员们前来参加今天这一艺术盛事，希望以后能有机会到孔子的家乡拜访扈鲁先生，更多地了解中国的葫芦文化。
When talking about the affection for the gourd, Ms. Waterman said, “I was a nurse assistant before retirement and worked in operating rooms for 29 years. One day I went to Branson in Missouri with my husband, where I saw many gourds sold at a price of $35, though they just drilled a hole in the gourds. Then we visited Silver Dollar City, where we saw many beautifully decorated and painted gourds. It occurred to me that ‘I could make it too’. After returning home, I searched the Internet for gourd art, and this is the beginning of my fascination with the gourd. Since then, the gourd had changed my life. I like to create works of art using different techniques on the gourds, such as sculpting, painting, wood carving and so on. Finally the gourds will show what they want to be.” She remarked that she was very grateful to Mr. Hu for inviting members of the Missouri Gourd Display Association to the art event. She hoped to have an opportunity to visit Mr. Hu in Confucius’ hometown in the future to learn more about China's gourd culture.
随后扈鲁致辞，他首先对“最葫芦•葫芦文化丝路行”来到美国，得到美国密苏里州立大学常务副校长弗兰克•英海利格博士、副校长贝克先生、国际处张朋先生、艺术设计系主任旺达亚伯利女士、美国葫芦协会会长塞西尔•加里森女士、美国葫芦协会副会长科南先生、密苏里州葫芦协会主席沃特曼女士等，以及美国各界朋友的热情支持表示诚挚的谢意。
Mr. Hu then addressed on this occasion. Firstly, he expressed sincere appreciation to people who had offered great support to the “Glamour of the Gourd – Gourd Culture Tour along the Silk Road”, including Dr. Frank A. Einhellig, Executive Vice President, Mr. Baker, Vice President, Mr. Zhang Peng from the International Office, Ms. Vonda K. Yarberry, Head of the Art and Design Department, Ms. Cecil Garrison, President of the American Gourd Society, Mr. Conan, Vice President of the American Gourd Society, Ms. Waterman, President of Missouri Gourd Society and friends from all walks of life in the United States.
扈鲁指出，葫芦是中华民族的古老图腾之一，也是享誉世界的人文瓜果，有着浓厚的文化底蕴，本次所展葫芦题材花鸟画，力图与美国具有悠久历史的葫芦艺术作品实现交流互鉴，希望通过“最葫芦•葫芦文化丝路行”走进美国，与美国葫芦文化艺术界的朋友建立持续深入的合作关系。
Mr. Hu remarked that the gourd is one of the ancient totems of the Chinese nation as well as one of the world-famous “Achievements of Humanities”, and it enjoys cultural profoundness. The displayed gourd-themed flower-and-bird paintings attempted to achieve mutual exchanges with ancient gourd art works of America. “With the U.S. Exhibition activity, we hope to establish a sustained and in-depth partnership with friends in American gourd art circles.”
扈鲁说，在中国，葫芦象征着平安、吉祥、和谐，有关葫芦文化的故事很多。如在中国云南省澜沧江流域，就有一个“芦笙恋歌”的电影，那里生活着一个少数民族——拉祜族，他们自称是从葫芦里走出来的民族，葫芦笙是该民族的古老乐器，男性六七岁就开始学吹葫芦笙并伴随终生。故事以葫芦笙为线索，讲的是拉祜族机智勇敢的男主人公扎妥和善良美丽的女主人公娜娃的故事，他们在一次祭祀节日活动上相遇并一见钟情，祭祀活动持续到晚上，扎妥鼓起勇气按照传统习俗摘下娜娃的包头巾跑入树林。娜娃随后跟来，却因为天色太暗一时找不到扎妥。扎妥拿起葫芦笙吹起了恋歌《婚誓》，娜娃寻着葫芦笙的声音找到了他，两人互相表达了爱慕之情。
The gourd symbolized safety, auspiciousness and harmony in China, and there were many gourd-related stories, said Mr. Hu. For example, in the Lancang River basin of Yunnan Province, China, there is a movie Lu Sheng Love Story, a story of the Lahu ethnic group who call themselves a nationality having originated from the gourd. Males of this ethnic group learn to play the Lusheng at the age of six or seven, and this ancient instrument will accompany them for their whole lives. Taking the Lusheng as the clue, the movie tells the love story between Zhatuo, a bright and brave hero, and Nawa, a beautiful and kind heroine. They met and fell in love at first sight during the day of sacrifice. The sacrifice activity lasted until the evening. Following the local custom to express his love, Zhatuo took his courage to take off Nawa’s headcloth and ran into the woods. Nawa tailed after Zhatuo, but she lost the track of him for the darkness. Then, Zhatuo picked up the Lusheng and blew the love song Vow of Marriage. Nawa located him following the sound of the music, and the two expressed their love for each other.
寨子长者阿七爹知道了他们的恋事，便来到娜娃家为扎妥提亲，娜娃则悄悄地躲在屋内屏风后面偷听，娜娃母亲表示对机智勇敢的扎妥非常满意，与阿七爹共同喝下装在葫芦里的定亲酒，就此定下扎妥和娜娃的婚事。扎妥和娜娃高兴地相约来到一个瀑布前的大石头上，扎妥拿起葫芦笙吹响恋曲《婚誓》，娜娃依偎在扎妥身旁，随着曲子唱起恋歌《婚誓》。
Aqi, an elder of the village knew about their love and then went to Nawa’s family to make a marriage proposal for Zhatuo. Nawa’s mother expressed her satisfaction with the brave young man, and drank the engagement wine in the gourd with the elder Aqi, and in this way, the marriage was set. Zhatuo and Nawa happily met in front of a waterfall, and Zhatuo picked up the Lusheng to play the love song Vow of Marriage. Nawa snuggled up next to him and sang along.
正当这对恋人甜蜜相爱时，国民党匪军派出一百多人的队伍到寨子来抢掠粮食，拉祜族青年在扎妥的带领下展开了英勇抵抗。由于匪军人多枪多，勇士们被敌人偷袭，几乎全部牺牲。唯一幸存下来的扎妥，带着一个印有娜娃头像的葫芦笙逃进了原始老林深处。为躲避战乱，阿七爹带领娜娃和寨子里的妇孺老幼背井离乡，路上，娜娃担心扎妥的安危，独自一人历经周折回到寨子，在牺牲的人旁边发现了自己送给扎妥的头巾，误以为扎妥已经牺牲。
Just as the lovers enjoyed their time, Kuomintang bandits sent a gang of more than 100 people to the village to plunder the grain. Under the leadership of Zhatuo, the young man of Lahu people launched heroic resistance. Because of the large number of bandits and their guns, the warriors were attacked by the enemy and almost all lost their lives. Zhatuo, the only survivor, with a Lusheng with an image of Nawa, escaped into the depths of the primitive old forest. To stay away from the war, the elder Aqi led Nawa and all the women and children in the village to flee from their hometown. On the way, worried about the safety of Zhatuo, Nawa made her way back to the village alone, only to find the headcloth that she had given to Zhatuo near dead warriors, and mistakenly thought that Zhatuo had died.
两年后，阿七爹帮助地质勘察队寻找矿藏，回到了拉祜人居住的山村，并且发现了一个“野人”，大家跟踪“野人”追至老林深处，这时，发现了一个架在树上的棚屋，里面有一把印有娜娃头像的葫芦笙，娜娃确认这个“野人”就是误认为已经牺牲的扎妥。
Two years later, the elder Aqi returned to the village as he helped a geologic survey team in the search for mineral deposits, and they found a “savage”. They traced the “savage" to the depths of the forest, where they found a shack built on a tree, inside which was a Lusheng with an image of Nawa. Nawa was certain that the “savage” was Zhatuo who was mistakenly deemed as dead.
大家继续追赶扎妥，娜娃不断的呼唤着扎妥的名字，告诉他自己就是妻子娜娃。然而，这两年的野人生活使扎妥不肯相信任何人，固执地认为众人是匪军伪装的，于是他继续向山顶跑去，最后到了一个悬崖上边，还回头不断射箭抵抗。正在众人无奈之际，娜娃突然抢过阿七爹手中的葫芦笙，吹奏起当年他俩定情时的恋歌《婚誓》，扎妥闻声终于醒悟，认出吹奏葫芦笙的娜娃正是他日夜思念的爱妻。扎妥从悬崖上，娜娃从山脚下，分别向着对方激动地跑去，这对历经磨难的恋人终于再次幸福地紧紧拥抱在一起。
They continued to track down Zhatuo, and Nawa continuously called his name and told him that she was his wife. However, the savage life of those two years made him unwilling to believe anyone, and he stubbornly believed that everyone was disguised by the bandits, so he continued to run to the top of the mountain, and finally reached a cliff, where he continued to shoot arrows in resistance. As everyone was trapped into helplessness, Nawa suddenly grabbed the Lusheng in the hands of the elder Aqi and played the love song Vow of Marriage, then Zhatuo finally realized that the woman who was playing the Lusheng was his missing wife. Zhatuo ran down the cliff, and Nawa ran up the hill. The two excitedly ran toward each other and embraced each other happily after going through so many hardships.
扈鲁说，这个故事告诉大家，战争会使家破人亡，妻离子散，我们一定要高举合作共赢的旗帜，反对战争，崇尚和平，让中美友谊之花绽放异彩。
In Mr. Hu’s opinion, this story told us that war would cause deaths and broken families. We must oppose war and advocate peace to achieve win-win cooperation and let the China-US friendship bloom.
讲完这个故事后，扈鲁拿起一把从中国带去的葫芦笙，在现场动情地吹奏起来，随着悠扬乐曲，他跳起了芦笙舞，还即兴唱起了“芦笙恋歌”主题曲《婚誓》，博得在场嘉宾的阵阵掌声。
After telling this story, Mr. Hu picked up a Lusheng he brought from China and played it emotionally. Accompanying the melodious music, he performed a Lusheng dance and sang Vow of Marriage – the theme song of the movie Lu Sheng Love Story, which won the applause of distinguished guests.
随后，美国密苏里州立大学副校长贝克对开幕式进行了总结讲话。他说：“感谢扈鲁先生给我们带来的葫芦文化艺术盛宴，本次展演活动在内容上丰富多彩，在形式上别具一格,令人印象深刻。在这里我还要特别感谢扈鲁先生无偿捐赠的高水准葫芦艺术作品，我们会把这些作品作为美中友谊的象征和见证永久珍藏。本次展演活动非常圆满成功，希望通过此次活动进一步加强美中两国、密苏里州立大学和曲阜师范大学的文化艺术交流。”接着，贝克向扈鲁颁发了收藏证书。
Subsequently, Mr. Baker, Vice President of Missouri State University, concluded the opening ceremony. He remarked, “we are grateful to Mr. Hu for the artistic feast of the gourd culture. This exhibition activity was very impressive in terms of content and unique in terms of form. Here, I also give my special thanks to Mr. Hu for his generous donation of the high-quality gourd artworks and we would treasure them forever as the symbol of friendship between the United States and China. This exhibition is a great success, and hopefully this will further strengthen the cultural exchange between the United States and China, and that between Missouri State University and Qufu Normal University. Then, Mr. Baker awarded the collection certificate to Mr. Hu.
开幕式结束后，嘉宾在扈鲁的讲解下一起观看了写意葫芦作品展。展览现场的一颗吉祥树上挂满了象征中华传统文化符号的十二生肖葫芦挂件，内堂墙体上由扈鲁、问墨创作的写意水墨葫芦画，与案台上展示的美国艺术家们创作的葫芦艺术品交相呼应，吸引了众多观众驻足欣赏，称赞“最葫芦•葫芦文化丝路行”走进美国，对美中葫芦文化交融共进产生了非常积极的影响。70余岁的美国葫芦协会副会长柯南先生，在展演现场紧紧握着扈鲁的手动情地说：“我去过世界许多国家探寻葫芦文化，今天和你在这里相逢，我感觉找到了知音，而“最葫芦•葫芦文化丝路行”展演的到来，特别是《葫芦文化丛书》的编纂，大大推动了葫芦文化国际化，为世界葫芦文化融合发展做出了贡献，你对葫芦文化艺术孜孜不倦的追求和取得的成绩让我由衷地敬佩。”美国密苏里州立大学艺术系主任旺达亚伯利女士对画展予以高度评价，她说：“葫芦在美国许多艺术院校，除了用作课堂素描、彩画写生的静物外，还成为很多艺术家创意设计的艺术品、乐器等素材，扈鲁先生来此举办展演对加强美中两国，特别是两校的艺术交流具有重要意义，本次展览通过水墨这种艺术表现形式，充分展示了中国传统葫芦文化的精髓，实在是太棒了！”
After the opening ceremony, the guests watched the gourd artistic exhibition with the explanation of Mr. Hu. Hung on an auspicious tree in the exhibition hall were Chinese zodiac gourds symbolizing Chinese traditional culture, hung on the walls were freehand ink-wash gourd paintings created by Mr. Hu and Wen Mo, and displayed on the counter were the gourd artworks created by American artists, all the works entirely in tune with each other. The audience were fascinated and praised that the exhibition would exert positive influence on the development of American and Chinese gourd culture. On the exhibition, Mr. Conan, in his seventies, shook Mr. Hu’s hands tightly and said, “I have explored gourd culture in many countries around the world and I find the bosom friends here today. The “Glamor of the Gourd – Gourd Culture Tour along the Silk Road”, and especially the compilation of The Gourd Culture Series have promoted the internationalization of the gourd culture and contributed to the development of the world’s gourd culture. I sincerely admire your tireless pursuit of the gourd culture art and your achievements.” Ms. Vonda K. Yarberry, Head of the Art and Design Department of Missouri State University, spoke highly of the exhibition. “Gourd is used in many American classrooms for sketch and color painting, often used as the material for creative designed artworks and musical instruments for many artists. The exhibition held by Mr. Hu is of great importance for strengthening artistic exchange between the United States and China, especially between our two universities. This exhibition is amazing in that it fully demonstrated the quintessence of the Chinese traditional gourd culture through the artistic form of ink-wash painting.”
大家通过“葫芦画社报”深入了解了扈鲁在葫芦文化研究方面所取得的成就，对展出的写意葫芦作品的艺术性给予了高度评价，大家认为扈鲁的葫芦画着色明艳，构图精妙，既让人觉得磅礴大气，又给人以静谧安逸之感，画中的葫芦一个个疏密有致、方圆有度，在苍遒老辣、极富张力的葫芦藤蔓的烘托下，把中国水墨画“近处写实，远处抽象，色彩微妙，意境丰富”的特点充分展现了出来，让我们真正地观赏到、体会到扈鲁先生葫芦绘画超凡脱俗的艺术水准，加深了对葫芦文化艺术的了解，更对中国传统文化的博大精深叹为观止。观展过程中，扈鲁还与美国葫芦协会副会长柯南、密苏里州葫芦展示协会会长沃特曼等，就“最葫芦•葫芦文化丝路行”共同推动葫芦文化国际化等进行了深入而热烈的探讨，得到了大家的高度赞赏和积极支持，对此他们充满信心。
The audience got to understand Mr. Hu’s achievements in gourd culture research through Gourd Painting Studio Papers and spoke highly of the artistic quality of exhibited freehand gourd paintings. They believed that Mr. Hu’s gourd painting was bright in color and exquisite in composition, demonstrating an air of magnificence as well as serenity. The gourds in the paintings are appropriately distributed and shaped, accompanied with robust vines. The characteristics of Chinese ink-wash paintings, that is “realistic in near distance, abstract in far distance, subtle in color and rich in conception” have been fully revealed. The audience truly appreciated Mr. Hu’s extraordinary skills and understood further gourd culture art as well as the Chinese traditional culture. During the exhibition, Mr. Hu had an in-depth discussion with Mr. Conan and Ms. Waterman on making use of the “Glamor of the Gourd – Gourd Culture Tour along the Silk Road” to internationalize the gourd culture.
活动期间，为了纪念“最葫芦•葫芦文化丝路行”走进美国这一文化交流盛事，见证世界葫芦文化艺术爱好者之间的深厚友谊，扈鲁还当场收藏了美国密苏里州葫芦展示协会艺术家四件精美的葫芦雕刻彩绘艺术品。
In order to commemorate this cultural exchange event and the friendship between the gourd culture and art lovers all over the world, Mr. Hu collected on the spot four exquisitely carved and painted gourd artworks created by artists from the United States Missouri Gourd Display Association.
回国后，为表达对美国葫芦文化艺术专家学者的友谊之情，扈鲁专门向美国葫芦协会会长塞西尔•加里森女士致信感谢。在信中，扈鲁深情地说到：“美国之行虽然短暂，却给我留下了美好的回忆。在美期间，得到了美国葫芦协会诸位朋友的热情接待，让我和团队成员在这个冬天深感温暖。中国有句古话：志同者不以万里为遥，相知者不以山海为远。此次虽未与您谋面，却因葫芦之缘，而倍感亲切。我相信，葫芦和葫芦文化一定会跨越国界，架起一座友谊的桥梁，让我们紧密联系在一起，携手共进，深化合作，共同致力于弘扬葫芦文化并感受和体验由此带来的快乐与幸福。”
After returning to China, Mr. Hu specially wrote to Ms. Cecil Garrison, President of the American Gourd Society, to express his appreciation for the friendship. Mr. Hu wrote with deep emotion: “The journey to the United States is short but left me a wonderful memory. When we were in the United States, my delegation was warmly received by friends from American Gourd Society, which made us feel warm in this winter. As an old Chinese saying goes: Like-minded people do not feel apart even if they are far away. The gourd has drawn us closer though we did not meet this time. I believe gourd and gourd culture will transcend national borders and build a bridge of friendship. Let us work together to deepen cooperation and promote the gourd culture, and we can feel and experience the happiness.”
“最葫芦•葫芦文化丝路行”作为坚定自信的中国传统文化代表之一，以其独特的艺术魅力和国际化的艺术视野走出了国门，走进了美国，此次葫芦文化艺术交流活动，必将进一步推动中美文化的交融互鉴和共同发展，为打造文化包容的利益共同体必将产生积极影响。
“Glamor of the Gourd – Gourd Culture Tour along the Silk Road” is a representative of the firm and confident Chinese traditional culture. The Tour went to the United States with its special artistic charm and international art vision. This gourd cultural and artistic exchange will further promote the exchange and mutual development of the Chinese and American culture and have a positive influence on building a culture-inclusive community.
