To further deepen international students' understanding and appreciation of China's excellent traditional culture and the culture of hometowns of overseas Chinese, and to foster a love for China through cultural exchange and integration, the School of International Education organized a one-day study tour to the Cangdong Cultural Heritage Conservation and Development Center on October 19th.

On the day of the event, under the ancient banyan tree in Cangdong Village, international students listened to a detailed explanation from Professor Tan Jinhua of the Institute of Guandong Qiaoxiang Studies, embarking on a journey to explore the culture of overseas Chinese. She introduced the Kaiping watchtowers, which blend traditional Chinese rural architectural culture with Western architectural art, and led students to visit the village's ancestral halls that also function as schools, characteristic residences, and other infrastructure, allowing students to experience the confidence, openness, and inclusiveness of the people in hometowns of overseas Chinese in a scene of cultural integration between China and the West.

Professor Tan Jinhua gives an on-site explanation to international students

In the afternoon, scholar Huang Zhiliang, a Yale University graduate, and Professor Tan Jinhua jointly held a special lecture at the Cangdong Heritage Education Base on Wuyi Overseas Chinese Pioneer - late Qing reformer Kuang Qizhao. Kuang Qizhao is known as an influential reformer in modern Chinese history, who compiled and published the first English dictionary written by a Chinese person--The Integrated Dictionary. Through the lecture, students not only learned about Kuang Qizhao's contributions to the promotion of modern education, nationalist thought, and social progress but also deeply felt his patriotic feelings as a social reformer with distinct "overseas Chinese" characteristics. After the lecture, students actively asked questions to the guest speakers and had a lively discussion with them on the social reforms in China during the late Qing Dynasty and the living conditions of overseas Chinese.

Through this study tour, international students have enhanced their understanding and respect for China's excellent traditional culture and the culture of hometowns of overseas Chinese. At the same time, they have also witnessed the achievements and vitality of rural revitalization in the process of China's modernization. Our school will continue to make good use of the "overseas Chinese" element, to tell the story of China and the story of hometowns of overseas Chinese well, allowing international students to have a more authentic, three-dimensional, and comprehensive understanding of China.