“We have specially prepared Vietnamese specialties for the culinary experience, including coconut sticky rice, spring rolls, and Vietnamese mixed rice paper, which not only show Vietnam's unique culinary culture but also carry the deep friendship between the two peoples.” Vietnamese student Hoang Vu Thuong Nhan said, “This year coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam, and seeing President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Vietnam and other countries has further deepened the deep friendship between the two countries. We sincerely expect that the platform of the International Cultural Festival will build more windows for exchanges and dialogues between the youth of China and Vietnam.”
On the afternoon of May 6, the opening ceremony of the 21st International Cultural Festival of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE) and the International Cuisine Carnival were held on the campus of Guoding Road. With the theme of “Bridging Hearts, Building Dreams”, the festival promotes the mutual understanding of civilizations through cultural display, innovative practice, and youth dialogue, and builds an international platform for the integration of multiple civilizations.
University leaders Xu Tao, Liu Yuanchun, Yao Lingzhen, He Pengcheng, Liu Qingsheng, Jin Yuying, Cao Dongbo, and Chu Hua, as well as leaders of relevant functional departments, schools, and institutes, representatives of enterprises, Chinese and foreign teachers and students, and representatives of students of affiliated schools, attended the event together.
Vice President Yao Lingzhen delivered the opening speech, wishing the Chinese and foreign students of SUFE to stand up to the trend of the times, to become the guide of civilization mutual learning, and the disseminator of China's story in the practice of building a global community of shared future.
At the opening ceremony, Xu Jingqi, Executive President of the Student Union of the School of Finance, and Zhang Kaijie (Malaysia), Executive President of the International Students' Union, delivered speeches as representatives of Chinese and foreign students respectively and introduced the overall situation of this International Cultural Festival. Chinese and foreign students presented the original song “Huazhang”, which conveyed the concept of multicultural integration and creating the future hand in hand with the song.
At the International Cuisine Carnival, 30 cultural booths jointly set up by international students linked up to “A Bite of World”. Cuisines such as Kazakhstan's samsa, Thailand's pink sweet milk, and France's croissants were displayed, showing the Belt and Road Initiative and the era of mutual understanding of civilizations. At the same time, students from different countries explored cross-cultural dialogues through traditional dress displays, handicraft teaching, and fun interaction.
Song Weibo (Uzbekistan), an undergraduate student of International Economics and Trade in the class of 2023, dressed in traditional costumes, told participants about the history of civilization exchanges on the Silk Road through a live demonstration of the game of Kumush Tanga (silver coins game): “Kumush Tanga is not only an important element of our culture, but also a symbol of trade and cultural exchanges on the Silk Road. Today, we are recreating this traditional game in SUFE, which is a vivid interpretation of the 'Belt and Road' civilization dialogue.”
At the same time, the Chinese food and cultural experience zone was also set up, which included paper-cutting, marbles, flying flower order, and other fun games in addition to riddles and poetry shows. Li Chaoran, Executive Chairman of the Graduate Student Association of International Cultural Exchange School, said, “The Chinese Food and Cultural Experience Zone is a platform for us to tell the Chinese story to international students. One of the most impressive parts for me is the idiom solitaire game, which demonstrates the profundity of Chinese idioms, international students learn Chinese language and culture through such interaction.”
Douglas, the international student from Brazil, exclaimed, “I took part in the poetry recitation show and the food puzzle game and my Chinese classmates taught me the meaning of ‘Cherish one's beauty, both beauties are respected and cherished’, respecting differences, guarding the true nature, and growing together, which is precisely the wisdom we should have to deal with global challenges. ”
More and more international students choose to innovate and start their businesses in China, the International Cultural Festival ad hoc international student innovation and entrepreneurship achievements exhibition area, focuses on the presentation of the international students of SUFE in China innovation and entrepreneurship quality projects. The “Moka” campus coffee shop jointly created by a team of Malaysian students demonstrated the innovative vitality of Chinese and foreign youth cultural exchanges; the “Thousand Villages Survey”, the integrated development of rural culture and tourism in Anqing, Anhui Province, and the study and optimization of public baby rooms in Shanghai, conducted by student teams from Japan, Ecuador, and other countries have vividly demonstrated the practical spirit of international students to go deep into the grassroots of China and pay attention to the development of the society, and have become the vivid cases of “telling China's story well”. Huang Zhengzhao (Malaysia), who is a Master of International Business in the class of 2024 and the founder of “Jiafu” cross-border durian trading platform, said, “Jiafu cross-border durian trading platform is designed to serve as a link between the Malaysian and Chinese markets, and focuses on bringing Malaysian high-quality Elvis Presley durians to China, as well as to the Chinese market, and to promote in-depth cooperation between China and Malaysia in the fields of agriculture, science and technology and culture through innovative industry chain integration and green agricultural technology.”
At the opening ceremony, SUFE and L‘adore Colors jointly completed the unveiling of the internship practice base and innovation and entrepreneurship base for international students. Yang Yan, the head of L‘adore Colors, said, “In the future, we will provide a diversified practice platform for international students. Whether they participate in product development or conduct market research, students can deepen their understanding of the Chinese market in practice.”
SUFE has been committed to promoting the integration of Chinese and foreign students, building a platform for youth exchanges, and drawing a blueprint for the community of human destiny.
Yang Jingzhuo (France), an undergraduate student of 2024 majoring in business administration, said: “I deeply feel that the youth exchanges between China and France have been deepening in recent years, and as an international student who loves Chinese culture, I deeply feel that I have the responsibility to bring this sense of cultural integration back to France and share it with more people, to contribute to the construction of a more tolerant and diversified world together.“Jiang Yingyue (Italy), Full English Master of International Business, Class of 2024, exclaimed, “In this colorful food festival opened in SUFE, I not only appreciated the subtlety of the Eastern culture but also took pride in the vitality of the Western culture. Our booth specially prepared hand-baked bread and pasta. I hope that everyone will share this experience with their friends so that they can feel the charm of Italian culture!”
For the third time, the festival welcomed children from SUFE-affiliated primary schools, who interacted with the international students at the booth to enhance their international vision and cross-cultural understanding. It is reported that in addition to the regular “Children's Eyes on the World - English Corner After-school Service” program, international students will also come into the primary school to carry out exchanges during the International Cultural Festival.
In the coming month, a series of colorful activities will be held inside and outside the campus, such as “Youth Walking” Chinese and foreign students cycling to know Shanghai, “Children's Eyes on the World” International Culture in Primary Schools, Uzbekistan National Culture Exhibition, “Cultural Wonderland” theme tour, Chunhui Music Festival and so on, to integrate the colorful cultures of different countries to build a harmonious international campus.
(From International Cultural Exchange School)
