In November last year, Australian students visited our Business School, where a heartwarming cultural exchange event was held in a university classroom. Under the guidance of Professor Huang Tairan, a student delegation interacted with University of Jinan students, further strengthening the cooperative relationship between the two institutions. This event aimed to leverage the university platform to allow international students to experience the charm of Chinese traditional culture up close, while promoting cross-cultural communication and mutual understanding among young people from China and abroad.
At University of JINAN, classrooms have transformed into dynamic stages for cultural exchange. Two local students, holding prepared handouts, delivered bilingual presentations on "Jinan Culture" to international peers. The content was self-curated and presented by the students themselves. The university serves as both the stage and the platform, where young people become cultural ambassadors through a model combining student-led initiatives and institutional support. The students on stage are not only cultural storytellers but also cross-cultural communicators, while international students transform from passive listeners into co-creators of cultural narratives.
A calligraphy workshop turns brushes into cultural connectors: foreign students meticulously copy Chinese characters under local guidance, while local students act as both mentors and peers, practicing writing on rice paper with international classmates. Laughter and the scent of ink blend into a unique campus landscape.
The "WELCOME TO UJN" banner at the event symbolizes the university's open embrace of diversity. Here, classrooms become shared spaces for cultural enjoyment. During the final group photo, students gathered around the red banner with their calligraphy works: some displayed freshly written "Fu" characters, others held rice paper inscribed with their Chinese names. Their diverse faces, connected by brushstrokes, captured the warm cross-cultural atmosphere of the campus. Professor Huang Tairan presented a work themed 'low-carbon,' where traditional culture and environmental protection concepts were skillfully blended in the fragrance of ink and brush.
This event leverages the Business School's distinctive educational approach to highlight its role as a cultural exchange hub on campus. Through calligraphy as a medium, it enables international business students to engage with Chinese cultural heritage, fostering mutual understanding and emotional resonance between Chinese and foreign students. The initiative cultivates business acumen, broadens global perspectives, and allows diverse civilizations to flourish through the dynamic interplay of youth.
