Co-sponsored by the School of Chinese International Education and the Confucius Institute Office of the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE), the awards ceremony of the "Symphony of Cities" activity and the unveiling ceremony of SUIBE's overseas internship base were held recently to deepen exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations.
Teachers and students from the Confucius Institute at Comenius University in Slovakia, the Confucius Institute at the University of Zagreb in Croatia, the Confucius Classroom at VŠTE in the Czech Republic and the Confucius Institute at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, participated in the event online.
Since its launch in November last year, the "Symphony of Cities" activity has attracted more than 100 Chinese language enthusiasts from five countries worldwide. They shared stories about their local customs, food, formalities and etiquette in their own countries in Chinese language.
At the awards ceremony, eight teenagers including Špela Pahor and Tia Marot from the Confucius Institute at the University of Ljubljana recited the stories about Slovenian writer Alma M．Karlin's eight-year adventure in Chinese language via video, which taught everyone in attendance about the female adventurer who is inextricably linked with China.
Wu Xue'er, a 2020 undergraduate student majoring in Chinese International Education at the SUIBE, said Shanghai is inclusive, excellent, wise and tolerant to diversity by fusing traditional Chinese cultures and Western civilizations. "Through more frequent and in-depth cultural exchanges, we hope that more overseas friends can experience Shanghai's open and inclusive spirit.”
"We are familiar with the experiences of Western adventurers such as Marco Polo in China, but this is the first time we have heard about the relationship between Karlin and China," said Ye Lin, a freshman at SUIBE.
This year marks the 13th anniversary of the establishment of the Confucius Institute by the SUIBE in cooperation with overseas education institutions.
Qi Ming, deputy Party secretary and vice-president of SUIBE, said the mission of the School of Chinese International Education is to expand opening-up and explore innovative ways to advance cultural exchanges. "We hope that through various attempts with overseas institutions, such as the Confucius Institute, to deepen exchanges and mutual learning, and help students acquire in-depth knowledge about the origin and rich cultural contents of different civilizations."
In the future, the School of Chinese International Education of SUIBE plans to work hand in hand with overseas partners, adhere to the learner-centered approach, promote the common values such as peace, development, justice, democracy and freedom of all mankind, and fuel the high-quality development of Chinese education on the global stage.
