A part of the largest landmass on Mother Earth is known as “Asia”. Is it large, too? Of course! It is home to more than half of the world’s population. In fact, Asia is such a large continent that people living on it may not understand each other’s language. At a specific time of a day, pupils at one location are having lunch, while those at another location are embracing the early morning sunshine peeping through their windows; some are having cool ice creams and wearing dresses while others are in thick coats. Why is that?
Read the labels on your clothes, snacks, bags and other things you have to see where they are from. However, you can only get to know where a product is finally made. What about the raw materials? Where does the cotton used to make your clothes come from? And the sugar in a cake? Are the raw materials and the final products from neighboring countries? Where are they located? On the coast or in the hinterland? Are there any high mountains or vast plains? What kind of animals and flowers do they have? Do children in these countries go to school? What games do they often play after school? Do they celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival as we do?
This workshop contains two sessions. In Session I, instructors will help students pinpoint the places of production of all the products they identify in the classroom on a world map with push pins of different colors, and link each place to Shanghai with a red line if the place is in Asia, or a blue line if it is outside Asia, so that students may see how the surrounding products are connecting us with countries both in and outside Asia. Every time a line is drawn, the instructors will introduce the geographic location of the place and the culture and life there with some vivid pictures displayed. Students may feel free to ask questions during the session, and are encouraged to look for answers to their own questions after the session with the support of teachers, parents and classmates. What they do to find the answers and the possible answers (if any) are expected to be written down and shared in the next session.
In Session II, instructors will first introduce the printmaking as an artistic technique, and classic patterns featured in prints emerging from different Asian cultures, as well as the stories and cultures behind these patterns. Then students will be guided to design and create prints reflecting their impressions of Asia.
在世界上最大的一片大陆上，有一块地方人们叫做“亚细亚”，或者叫“亚洲”，它虽然名字里有一个“细”字，可它一点也不细小。亚细亚有多大？世界上一多半的人都住在这个地方，因为它太大了，所以同样是住在这个地方的人，却有可能互相听不懂对方说的话、写的字。同一时刻，有的亚洲小学生已经吃午饭啦，有的亚洲小学生看看窗外，天才刚刚亮；同一天里，有的亚洲小学生穿裙子、吃冰棍啦，有的亚洲小学生还裹着厚厚的棉袄。这是怎么一回事呢？
在你的衣服、零食、书包文具等物品的标签上找到它们的产地，看看这些东西是从哪里来到你身边的？产地只是最后的生产地点，做衣服的棉花、做蛋糕用的糖是哪里来的？这些国家之间是相邻的吗？在临海，还是在内陆？那里是在高高的山上，还是在宽阔的平原，有什么动物，开什么花？那里的小学生上学吗，他们放学后做什么游戏呢，他们也和我们一样庆祝春节吗？
本次工作坊分为两个部分。第一部分，同学们在老师的指导下，在地图上用彩色的工字钉标出教室里找到的各种物品标签产地，用线和上海所在的点连接起来。如果是亚洲之内的连接用红色，亚洲之外的连接用蓝色，观察身边的物品如何将我们与亚洲其他国家、亚洲之外的国家连接在一起。每一次连接时，老师会结合图片介绍这个区域的地理文化知识、人们的生活状况，同学们可以自由提问。结束之后，同学们可以在老师、父母、同学的帮助下寻找自己问题的答案，把自己找答案的过程和结果（如果有的话）书面记录下来，第二节课时与老师分享。
第二部分，艺术老师会介绍版画这种艺术创作形式、亚洲不同文化的经典传统纹样和背后的故事与文化，然后同学们在艺术老师的指导下动手设计和创作，印出自己的“亚洲印象”。