Five Continents in Harmony, Building Bridges; Seventy Years of “Study in China,” Writing a Glorious Chapter — On May 19, the concert marking the 70th anniversary of the university’s international student education in China was held at the university gymnasium. International student representatives and musicians from both on and off campus performed together, presenting an audio-visual feast, jointly celebrating the glorious journey of the university’s international student education in China, and sounding a new chapter of harmony and coexistence, mutual learning among civilizations, and a community with a shared future for mankind.

At the concert

Liu Kai, Deputy Director-General of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Youth League Central Committee; Li Yanguang, Director of the Department for International Students in China of the China Scholarship Council; Hu Ziyuan, Director of the Scholarship Division of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation; Ji Xiaozhe, Deputy Director of the Division of International Cooperation and Exchange of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission; Xu Kejia, an officer of the Exit and Entry Administration Bureau of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau; and Yu Chengwen, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the university, attended the concert. Veteran colleagues from the university’s former Foreign Affairs Office, a Bangladeshi alumnus of the Mining 1979 cohort, and heads of various functional departments and schools also watched the concert.

Yu Chengwen delivers remarks

Yu Chengwen reviewed the 70-year history of the university’s international student education in China and summarized the experience gained over those 70 years. He pointed out that over the past 70 years, the university’s level of internationalization has continued to improve, and its international student education in China has achieved leapfrog development from nonexistence to existence and from existence to excellence. He stated that over the past 70 years, more than 10,000 international students from 174 countries have come to the university to study, grow, and become talents, and have then gone out into the world as “International Shells,” becoming pillars of various industries. International students have contributed USTB strength to promoting people-to-people bonds among countries and cultural exchanges between China and other civilizations.

At the performance

International students showcased their multinational musical talents and diverse cultural backgrounds through solo, ensemble, and choral performances. The concert also invited renowned musicians and orchestras from China and abroad to give guest performances, and the high-level performances made the celebration of the 70th anniversary of international student education in China exceptionally spectacular.

Mongolian International Student and Orchestra Perform “Myth” in Ensemble

Chinese and International Students Jointly Perform “One World, One Heart”

The concert opened with its first chapter, “Beginning: Hoisting the Sails and Forging Ahead,” performing two famous symphonic works, Ode to the Red Flag and Voices of Spring Waltz, praising the arduous journey of the university’s international student education in China and heralding the coming spring of this endeavor. The university’s Chinese Orchestra then presented the original piece Soul of Steel, opening the second chapter, “Gathering: Understanding China,” which signifies international students coming together from across the world to fulfill their youth dreams, gathering in China and forming bonds with USTB. The orchestra also performed Strolling Under the Moon at Manjing, a piece composed specially for this concert, depicting a beautiful scene of USTB students strolling through the tranquil, poetic campus. Cultures blend, passing down the fire of wisdom through the ages; hearts connect, gathering a bridge of friendship across thousands of miles. In the third chapter, “Integration: Mutual Learning with One Heart,” several international students from the university delivered superb artistic performances, bringing the concert atmosphere to a climax. In the fourth chapter, “Vision: Friendship Across Five Continents,” the Beijing Huayin Xinrui Symphony Orchestra performed four world-famous pieces together with the university’s Humanities Orchestra and Chinese Orchestra. The concert came to a successful conclusion amid prolonged applause from the audience.

A Spectacular Flash Mob Performance

That morning, the 16th International Cultural Festival of the university opened, with Chinese and international teachers and students from more than 40 countries across five continents and four oceans gathering joyfully at Wuhuan Square. On this day that transcends national borders and ethnicities, with hearts united across the four seas and celebrations shared across five continents, the international “Little Shells” presented the splendid cultures of countries around the world. During the artistic performance segment, 12 distinctive and spectacular performances took the stage. Graceful dances, moving songs, and melodious instrumental music captivated the audience, who took photos and expressed their appreciation.

The Elaborately Decorated Cultural Exhibition Area

In the elaborately decorated cultural exhibition area, tens of thousands of teachers, students, visitors, and tourists enthusiastically came to visit and take photos. International students from around the world, dressed in colorful and distinctive national costumes, warmly received the long queues of visitors in front of their booths and passionately introduced their countries’ history and culture. At the same time, they called over their fellow compatriots in the exhibition area, brought out one specialty and delicacy after another, and generously invited everyone to taste them. On the square at the center of the exhibition area, various cultural exchange activities were being held: interactive games, photo sessions, and more. Wuhuan Square became a stage for international cultural performances and exchanges.

Chinese and International Teachers and Students Celebrate the International Cultural Festival Together

Seeking Truth and Forging Ahead for Seventy Years, Blazing New Trails Toward the Centenary Goal. The celebration marking the 70th anniversary of the university’s education for international students in China serves not only as a review and summary of past achievements but also a look ahead to the future. The university will thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important replies, earnestly draw on experience accumulated over seven decades of development, continuously refine its high-caliber talent training system, steadily advance the full-range work of education for international students in China, actively advance the steady and sound development of education opening-up, and strive to break new ground in education for international students in China.