International students celebrate university’s 120th birthday

International students from 47 countries attended a cultural festival held in Beijing Jiaotong University on May 13, a global celebration marking the university’s upcoming 120th birthday.

Dancing and singing at the International Cultural Festival at Beijing Jiaotong University.

Chen Feng, vice-president of Beijing Jiaotong University, gives a speech at the cultural festival.

With a theme of “Gratitude for the source of benefit, univeral love for the alma mater”, nearly a thousand international students prepared a series of memorial activities. At the opening ceremony, students from Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Russia and Columbia, all in splendid attire, sang and danced with ebullience.The audiences responded with cheers and applause time and again. The kung fu and folk music performances of Chinese students showed their foreign fellows the charm of traditional Chinese culture.

Students from Nambia dance at the cultural festival at Beijing Jiaotong University on May 13.

Students from Russia pose for a photo at the cultural festival.

This year, Beijing Jiaotong University has some 2,000 international students from more than 100 countries. Ten years ago, at the university’s 110th anniverary, more than 150 international students held the first cultural festival. To respond to China’s Belt and Road Initative, the university is committed to cultural communication with the countries along the Silk Road to be joined by high-speed rail, and cultivation of their top-level youth.

In the university’s Hongguo Park, international students from 47 countries decorated the exhibition stands of their countries. In traditional clothing, the students also shared their national music, food, and games.

The Swedish exhibition at the cultural festival.

Students dressed in tradtional garments from Rwanda pose for a photo.

A visitor leaves a message at the Italian exhibition.

The stands of Belgium, Kenya, Spain and Vietnam were full of visitors. Many of them wore colored images of their national flags on their faces, and wrote down their thoughts, did drawings, or collected seals for the other countries they were interested in.

As part of the memorial activity, the “Jiaotong University and Me” Chinese speech contest illustrated the growth, acquisition and inspiration of the international students. In addition, graduates from more than 60 countries expressed their sincere blessings for Beijing Jiaotong University’s birthday through videos.

Performers at the International Cultural Festival pose for a photo.

The campus of Beijing Jiaotong University.

Presented guests take a photo with the performers of the cultural festival.

Apart from opening a window for the students at the university, the International Cultural Festival of Beijing Jiaotong University is a symbol integrating world cultural exhibition, international cooperation and exchange, international education promotion, and cooperation between universities and business.

Michael Malherbe, Belgium’s ambassador to China; Wasin Dhamavasi, minister counsellor from Thailand; and Chen Feng, vice-president of Beijing Jiaotong University also attended the festival.