The "Experiencing China" social and cultural experience activity held from Nov 11 to 12 in Shanghai allowed international students to have a deeper understanding of the city and the country.
The activity was organized by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Shanghai International Studies University under the guidance of the China Scholarship Council, with more than 20 international students from 15 countries in attendance.
During field trips, the participants learned about the development plan of the Lin-gang Special Area and local talent policies, visited the China Maritime Museum, and experienced folk customs.
Russian student Margarita Cherkasskaya said although the activity was only two days long, it was very informative. "It allowed me to deepen my understanding of China and Chinese culture, see modern China from another perspective, and discover a new chapter in Chinese history".
"On the first day, we went to the Lin-gang Special Area, where we had the opportunity to learn about the area's development strategy and the measures taken by the Chinese government and the Shanghai Municipal Government to deepen opening-up and cooperation. China is accelerating the development of the Lin-gang Special Area, so I believe it will become a new attraction for international economic space in the future," Cherkasskaya said.
"Then we visited the China Maritime Museum, and I was impressed by the model of an old ship, which is made very precisely, and through the narration of the guide, I understood the peculiarities of ancient Chinese shipbuilding," Cherkasskaya added.
Cherkasskaya also expressed her lover for China. "Before I came to China, I was already fascinated by its greatness. Now I seem to have really fallen in love with China. It is no exaggeration to say that I love China and hope that China will love me too."
Egyptian student Esraa Ayoub Ata Ayoub said she learned about many stories during the activity and would like to tell the stories to other Egyptian students.
"The first stop in Lin-gang Special Area made me feel the history of the development and rise of an open new city under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The second stop was the China Maritime Museum, where the guide introduced the world's first overall salvage scheme adopted by a Chinese ship. I could experience the progress of shipbuilding and navigation technology, which has boosted the vigorous development of China's maritime industry and promoted maritime trade and Sino-foreign exchanges," Ayoub said.
