With the theme “Hand in Hand, Going Together for a Shared Future”, the 8th Beihang University International Cultural Festival kicked off on May 13. This year’s festival was hosted by the Department of International Cooperation and co-organized by University Youth League Committee, Beihang Affiliated Secondary School, and Zhi Zhen College of Beihang School. The event spans across both campuses and is divided into three parts: Culture Exhibition, Shows & Performances, and Gala Night.
The opening ceremony began with a parade featuring flag bearers from participating countries; then, the Malaysian international students brought a marvelous performance of the twenty-four festival drums with strong Malaysian cultural characteristics; another highlight was the song Towards the Future (in Chinese: Wei Lai Wo Lai) performed by students of Beihang Affiliated Secondary School, which demonstrated one of the major features of this year's event — “Going Global” since teenage years. The festival started with the traditional costume show presented by international students from different countries.
In the culture exhibition area, international students from 32 countries set up their booths and invited Chinese students to experience the traditional culture of their countries, try on their traditional costumes, and learn about their humanities and geographies. Through interactions and exchanges, the young people experienced the charm of cultural diversity.
Meanwhile, in the shows & performances area, the exotic charming performances of the international students attracted many to stop by. With beautiful songs and wonderful dances, these enthusiastic foreign students won the applause and praise of the audience.
At the closing ceremony, Chinese and foreign students from nine countries sang the song My Future Style (In Chinese: Wo De Wei Lai Shi) together, which showcased the strengthened mutual understanding and deepened friendship among them. Through this year's festival, Beihang students better understand the world, and the world better understands Beihang, promoting the construction of Beihang as a world-class university with Chinese characteristics, and encouraging more Chinese and foreign students to continue the efforts to promote the exchange and development of the world's diverse civilizations in the future.
The Gala Night, a cultural performance by Chinese and foreign students, was held in Yongman Theatre of Shahe Campus on May 15 from 19:00 to 21:00.
Beihang International Education aims to cultivate international young talents with strong social responsibility, sound scientific literacy and outstanding innovative ability who know China and are friendly to China. At present, there are more than 1,000 international students from 112 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, America, and Oceania studying and living on the campuses, with 60% being graduate students. By 2023, more than 2,100 international students have graduated and received their degrees from Beihang.
Writer: Lu Meili
Source: WeChat Official Account "Hangxiaoxuan"
