Lingnan University’s Yunnan Dali Service-Learning Exchange Tour: Art and Well-being Workshops Foster Cross-Regional Exchange

The tour began with a visit to Dali University. Prof. IP Kimho, Head of the Wong Bing Lai Music and Performing Arts Unit, delivered a talk on “Art and Well-being,” exploring the relationship between cultural sustainability and holistic well-being. Ms. Sun Yajuan, Director of the International Exchange & Cooperation Division, and Mr. Huang Jibiao from the Mental Health Education and Service Center for College Students at Dali University, introduced their institution and officiated the opening of the event.

Thereafter, the Lingnan delegation joined Dali University students in the “Art and Well-being Workshop” led by registered expressive arts therapist Mr. Lum Sik Yacht. Through ice-breaking activities and experiential learning in expressive arts, the workshop enhanced mutual understanding between students from both universities and prepared them for collaborative community service projects, thereby strengthening exchanges and cooperation in music, culture, and social service between the two institutions.

The following day, the delegation visited Dali Secondary Vocational School. Applying Design Thinking, musicality, and workshop facilitation skills acquired in the MPA2002 course, Lingnan students, together with Dali University students, conducted the “Music, Self-expression and Well-being” Service-Learning Workshop for 80 secondary students. Working in groups, they led interactive games, music appreciation, body movement, rhythm exercises, and creative expression activities. These sessions guided participants to experience how music can enhance self-awareness, emotional expression, and interpersonal connection. Conducted in a safe and non-judgmental environment, the workshop emphasised process over outcome, promoting well-being through arts. The experience enabled Lingnan students to put classroom learning into real-world practice, fostering personal growth through serving others and critical self-reflection.

In addition to the service-learning components, the exchange tour incorporated cultural and ecological exploration activities, including visits to Dali Ancient City, experiencing the intangible cultural heritage of the Bai ethnic group’s Three-Course Tea, a Guided Tour of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture Museum, exploring the Erhai Lake Ecological Corridor, and touring Xizhou Ancient Town. These activities allowed participants to gain a deeper appreciation of Dali’s unique cultural heritage, famously known as “Cangshan Mountain, Erhai Lake, Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon.”

The exchange tour successfully integrated Service-Learning with cultural immersion, fully exemplifying WBLMP’s educational philosophy of “Art and Well-being.”