Opening ceremony

“I believe” sung by international students in Chinese

“On the other side of the river” performed by Russian twin sisters

Group dance “Mamaya” performed by students of Guinea

Peking opera “the drunken beauty”

Group dance “Golapi Golapi”performed by students of Bangladesh

Chinese martial arts “a strong and self-reliant man”performed by international students

“My People，My Country”sung by a Chinese student and a foreign student in Chinese

Group dance “the most beautiful red of palace lantern”performed by Chinese students

On the morning of November 14th, the Youth Square of CUMT was bustling with the opening ceremony of the 8th International Cultural Festival themed “wherever you are from, the same joy you are enjoying”. Zhang Wanhai, member of the CUMT Standing Party Committee and head of the Organization Department, Zhang Zhuoqi, deputy dean of the School of International Studies of Xuzhou Medical University, representatives from the General Committee Office,the Youth League Committee, the International Office, the Logistics Department, the Security Office, the School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering and the International College attended the opening ceremony.

Zhang Wanhai, head of the Organization Department, announced the opening of the 8th International Cultural Festival. Wu Gefei, secretary of the Party Committee and dean of the International College delivered an opening speech.

International students set up 33 national booths to display the special culture and local food.Teachers and students wandered among the booths to experience the foreign culture and taste the local delicacy. Calligraphy, seal cutting, dough twist and sachet shown in 7 traditional culture experience areas brought lively cultural experience to teachers and students. Such local food as sugar-man, cold rice noodle and deep-fried dough twist attracted many teachers and students. At the same time, “2020, we are together -- image of CUMT international students fighting against the COVID 19 pandemic” and “waiting for you in CUMT -- wall of smiling faces of international students” were also displayed in the opening ceremony, attracting a large number of teachers and students.

On the stage, hundreds of Chinese and foreign students presented a feast of cultural blending. “I believe” sung by international students in Chinese started the ceremony, followed by Chinese martial arts “a strong and self-reliant man”performed by international students and “my people，my country”sung by a Chinese student, a foreign student in Chinese and “the moment of COVID 19 pandemic” recited by international students in Chinese told the stories of international students in China. International students dressed in national costumes also exhibited the wonderful exotic culture to the teachers and students.12 marvelous dances, including “on the other side of the river” performed by Russian twin sisters, the Rwandan group dance, the Uzbek style dance and the Bengali group dance, triggered rounds of warm applause. Shows with strong Chinese characteristics, such as drum dance, lion dance, Peking opera “the drunken beauty”, classical dance “the most beautiful red of palace lantern” and Chinese-style dance adapted from an ancient poem also presented the profound Chinese culture and led the ceremony to its climax.

According to statistics, most international students can not return to the university in 2020 due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The 232 international students staying on campus joined hands and actively met the epidemic prevention and control requirements of the university and the government. Now that we have taken sufficient prevention measures, we gathered together for this grand event. Teachers and students from different nations and ethnic groups and with different colors experienced the same joy, passion and expectation. The International Cultural Festival served as a platform of cultural blending, bringing global elements to CUMT and leading CUMT to go global.

After the opening ceremony, a series of activities, including “a journey of traditional Chinese culture”, “dressing up our home”, “t letter to my family telling them I am fine -- international students letter writing competition”, and “the closing ceremony and 2020 Xuzhou international student music festival” will be held. The 8th International Cultural Festival will last until the end of December.