{"id":389,"date":"2022-11-16T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/lc\/?p=389"},"modified":"2022-11-16T15:42:13","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T15:42:13","slug":"international-day-for-tolerance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/lc\/2022\/11\/16\/international-day-for-tolerance\/","title":{"rendered":"International Day for Tolerance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Did you know that Wednesday 16th<\/sup> November is the International Day for Tolerance? What does tolerance mean for you? Here\u2019s what the UNESCO’s Declaration of Principles on Tolerance in 1995 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human.”<\/strong><\/p>UNESCO<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Within our Queen\u2019s community, we are all so fortunate to be a part of such a diverse campus, with students and staff members coming from over 80 countries and regions, representing a range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. We would like to invite you to join us in appreciating the rich diversity of our multicultural campus, and to show our shared respect for inclusivity today and every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about the activities for the Day, visit UNESCO\u2019s International Day for Tolerance<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Tolerance towards different foods \u2026 and cultures<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most direct ways of experiencing cultural differences is through tasting food. But to what extent can we have tolerance towards food from different cultures? Our QUB student, MA Xiaoxiang (\u9a6c\u5c0f\u7fd4), who obtained an MA degree in Arts Management (2019) and is completing his second MA degree in Film Study (expected 2022), with School of Arts, English and Languages, has his own thoughts on cultural diversity and tolerance through his recent documentary, as part of the BBC 100 – Make Film History Project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Different foods, countless flavours, diverse cultures, unique connotations. I try to use the traditional Chinese dish called Phoenix Feet [essentially, finely cooked chicken feet] as a clue to explain the relationship between food and culture. I also hope to use food as a metaphor for culture and interpret cultural exchanges in my eyes from different perspectives.’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 MA Xiaoxiang <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Xiaoxiang (right) facilitating the Chinese calligraphy stand during the CNY (Year of the Pig) at Queen’s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

About the film ‘Taste of Culture’<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original proposal for making this ‘Taste of Culture’ documentary is to weave a line between Chinese and Western cultures with some interesting elements. This is the reason why I chose Chinese food as the trigger. In the depths of its delicious flavour, there are many aspects to underline the cooking method – history, culture, regional variations, and other factors to help decode such a culture of practice, all of which is like a variety of spices and ingredients used in cooking, making the process of cultural interpretation more flavourful and charming and being more conducive to intercultural exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n