A two-day international students event that aims to encourage understanding towards China kicks off on 25 September in Qimen County and Wuhu, Anhui Province.
The Perception of China program, launched nationwide in 2015 by the China Scholarship Council, has been working to introduce Chinese cultural elements to the international students.
Themed as Perception of China -- Enterprising Anhui, the event this year is organized by the University of Science and Technology China. It attracts 78 international students from five universities in Anhui to develop a deeper insight into Chinese culture and social development.
The participants from 27 countries get to taste the traditional Chinese culture by visiting Keemun Black Tea Museum (Keemun known as Qimen) in Qimen County. Meanwhile, they also take a glimpse at the contemporary Chinese culture during their visit at the labs of Chery Automobile.
Day 1: To get a taste of Chinese culture in tea garden and tea museum
From tea garden to tea museum, the first day spins with tea. Once arriving the Xiangyuan Likou Eco-Tea Garden in Qimen, the students fasten the tea basket and pick the summer and autumn tea under the guidance of the staff, experiencing the life of a “Huizhou tea picker”.
“This is my first visit to Qimen. The air here is fresh and the scenery is beautiful. During my visit in the tea garden, I got to pick tea myself and learn about tea culture. I really learned a lot from this experience.” said Mamadou, a student from Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa. "I didn't know that black tea is also made from green tea until my visit here.” he added. "We pick tea with baskets in Bangladesh, too. But we carry bigger tea baskets on our backs, not around the waist." said Housse, a student from Bangladesh.
Students visiting the Xiangyuan Likou Eco-Tea Garden. (Image by Xinhua News Agency)
To take a glimpse at the history of Keemun black tea, the students come to their next destination—the Keemun Black Tea Museum in Xiangyuan Keemun Black Tea Cultural Industry Exposition Park. This is the first professional Keemun black tea museum in China, which integrates exhibition, research, social education and cultural dissemination of tea culture. It is not only a showcase of black tea culture but also a tank for systematic collection of tea cultural relics and tea literature. After walking through the exhibition halls of the Museum such as the Millennium Leaf, the Magical Tea Garden and Exquisite Works in turn, the students have a full picture of the origin, production and industrial development of the world-renowned Keemun black tea.
“Here, I got to know the history and craft of Keemun black tea development. I am impressed by the Huizhou culture and the Keemun customs.” said Chen Biying, a student of Thailand.
After appreciating the history and culture of Keemun black tea, the foreign students come to the drinking hall and learn to make tea themselves. From tea set preparation to tea washing, the museum provide a chance for everyone to learn about the complete process for making tea. In a moment, a unique fructose fragrance of black tea fills the hall as the students drink their own black tea.
Students at the Keemun Black Tea Museum. (Image by Xinhua News Agency)
Day 2: To take a glimpse at the Chery Automobile labs
On September 26, the foreign students come to Wuhu to visit Chery Automobile’s assembly workshop, laboratory and R&D center. As one of the Best Independent Brand Automobile Enterprise of China in 2016, Chery Automobile has come a long way in its development. Through talks with the company's leaders, the students have an overall perception of the Chery engineers’ perseverance in the integration of science and technology and Chery Automobile’s determination to make progress.
In the third assembly workshop, a car body on the conveyor belt slowly moves to each work station, where corresponding parts or sub-assemblies will be installed to the car body, as well as the front and rear cover s and doors. Following are steps like gap adjustment, chassis detection and rain experiment. Then the vehicle assembly is completed. “Everything is of order and beauty.”, said Chang Sheng, an Ethiopian student with both undergraduate and master's degrees in vehicle engineering. In the assembly workshop, he glued his eyes on the assembly line, listening carefully to the interpreter. “It's too short to see enough. It’s never enough for me. ”Chang Sheng smiled.
The students then come to the crash safety laboratory, which is one of the key laboratories in Chery Experimental Technology Center. Through touring the facility, the students can feel Chery's determination to guarantee and improve the quality of its vehicles as a Chinese independent brand, as well as its idea of winning through science and technology and its insistence on independent innovation.
Students at Chery Automobile. (Image by Xinhua News Agency)
At a forum with Chery executives and engineers, FENG Ping, the senior vice president of Chery International, introduce Chery’s history of development and overseas industrial layout to the foreign students. SAI Yinghui, the senior manager of the Intelligent Vehicle Technology Center, introduce the development of the intelligent vehicle and the science and technology of future Chery, including cloud security systems, wireless charging technology.
A forum with Chery executives and engineers. (Image by Xinhua News Agency)
"Before I came to University of Science and Technology of China, I was interested in working in an automobile company. This time I was especially happy because I had the opportunity to visit and study in Chery. It was very helpful for my future study and work." CHEN Yi, a Nigerian student said, “In fact, the perception of today China and the understanding of enterprising Anhui are the motive force for me to make great efforts to study in China, because what China attracts me is not only its profound cultural heritage, but also the rapid development speed. And more importantly, the unlimited future potential. I also look forward to more opportunities for me and my fellow students to participate in such meaningful activities in the coming year, to have a better perception of China and Anhui's history, culture and scientific and technological development. "
(Translated by XU Yue, edited by WU Qiran, USTC News Center)
