The whole process is like playing a game. Through role-playing, students conduct independent research and learning enabled by virtual simulation technology. In this game, they can not only chat with the poets in it, but also build a beautiful landscape in the poet's mind based on their own understanding of poetry.

In the virtual simulation laboratory of Wenzhou University, students from School of Humanities were studying ancient landscape poems through the "Simulation Experimental Teaching Project". "It used to be a traditional classroom taught by teachers, but now it is a process of active exploration. Based on my understanding, I can explore the sentiments of this poem and its hidden artistic conception. I can travel back to the ancient times, and have a dialogue with a poet. All these learning processes are interesting."

"Virtual Simulation Experimental Teaching Project of Scenery Poetry Appreciation" was officially recognized as a first-class national virtual simulation experimental teaching course in November this year. It is among the first batch of virtual simulation projects in literature and the only virtual simulation project in Zhejiang Province. In September 2017, the project was officially launched as a teaching experiment in the School of Humanities and well received by students.

Since Wenzhou is the birthplace of scenery poetry, the R&D team used this type of poems as the theme of the teaching project. Students can choose literati such as Xie Lingyun, the originator of scenery poetry, and Meng Haoran and Wen Tianxian, representative poets of scenery poetry as specific roles in the virtual simulation experiment, with Jiangxin Island as a virtual place. With the technology, students can study classical poetry immersively in a virtual simulation environment, and truly understand systematic knowledge through independent learning.

According to Professor Hong Zhiyuan, the project leader, the originality of the project lies in the integration of local characteristics, innovative learning models and high technology. In this course, students are propelled to learn by themselves, although the knowledge itself has not changed. This new type of method is way much better than traditional teaching. At present, the content of the project is continuously enriched. In the next phase, the course will be combined with VR technology to achieve a more panoramic and immersive learning experience.

In 2017, the Ministry of Education issued the 2017-2020 Demonstrative Virtual Simulation Experimental Teaching Project Construction Plan. In June 2017, “Virtual Simulation Experimental Teaching Project of Scenery Poetry Appreciation” was officially launched due to the efforts by the team of School of Humanities, Wenzhou University.

Professor Sun Youhao, Dean of the School of Humanities, said that the virtual simulation teaching method of scenery poetry has been applied to the other professional teaching, and will be gradually used by Wenzhou Vocational and Technical College, Zhejiang Gongshang University and other colleges and universities. Through the online teaching provided by the College of Overseas Chinese, Wenzhou University, this virtual simulation teaching method of scenery poetry will also be promoted overseas.

The team is further expanding the contents of virtual simulation teaching projects, for example, adding more places such as Yandang Mountain and Nanxi River, or expanding the scope of poetry like frontier-fortress poems and idyllic poems. Considering its flexibility, the teaching projects will be adopted by online teaching soon.