On October 30, Shandong University International Cultural Festival 2015 & Welcome Party for International Students was held in the gymnasium of the central campus. SDU Vice President Chen Zijiang attended the Welcome Party.
With this year’s theme being "My SDU, My Home", the festival is composed of three parts, the Food Festival, Multi-Culture World and the Welcome Party for International Students. What makes this year's festival different from the previous ones is that it lasts for about a month and the three major activities have been organized in three different places in order to encourage more students and faculties to participate. During this one month, the whole of SDU has been immersed itself in a rich international atmosphere.
On September 25, SDU International Cultural Festival 2015: the Food Festival was held on the playground of the international students' dormitory in the central campus. In the festival, various kinds of food such as fruits, desserts, barbecues, beverages and even moon cakes for the Chinese mid-autumn festival, were shared to make sure that international students can fully enjoy the specialties from different countries.
On October 29, Shandong University International Cultural Festival 2015: Multi-Culture World was held in the Grove of the central campus. The activity is like a small "Expo" for it provided the platform for exchanges of various cultures. There were 18 booths set for different countries including Thailand, Mongolia, Russia, Nepal, the Republic of Korea and many more. International students from those 18 countries showed their cultures and local customs through various forms like posters, display boards, folk costumes, games, foods and dancing performances. International Students Associations and Chinese student volunteers also helped to provide opportunities for visitors to experience different cultures. A good number of Chinese students and faculties expressed their appreciation about activities of such kind. which in their words made them feel like a world community. They hoped that such activities would be held more frequently in the future.
On the evening of October 30, the Welcome Party for International Students, the summit of this year's International Cultural Festival, was held in the gymnasium with an exciting opening dance. Chen Zijiang and Jiang Yu, division chief of the International Office of the Shandong Provincial Education Department, respectively awarded the winners of Distinguished Scholarship for Self-financed International Students of 2015 and the Best Booth for Multi-Culture World. Zou Nan, director of Department of International Affairs, gave a speech on behalf of the university. He said that the series activities like the International Cultural Festival in SDU have built an important platform for cultural exchanges. The festival now has become a favored activity of international students. With the ever-increasing international appeal of SDU, the scale of international students will be further expanded. He extended his hope that both Chinese and international students can love SDU and cherish the time here.
The Welcome Party was hosted by six Chinese and international students from different countries. The traditional dancing of Thai students and the "Expression of Russia" provided the audiences with an audio-visual feast. Dances of students from Africa and South Pacific island nations added much enthusiasm to the event. The dance of Mongolian girls showed the broadness and sincerity of the people on the grassland. The festival was ended with the chorus of the song "My SDU, My Home". Attendees of the Welcome Party included representatives from District Public Security Bureau, District Public Security Bureau of the Municipality of Jinan, faculties from the Department of International Affairs, the Youth League Committee and the College of International Education of SDU, and more than 1000 international students.
The SDU International Cultural Festival has been held annually for 15 years since 2001. During these 15 years, the festival has become a multi-cultural feast for Shandong University.
Source: The Department of International Affairs, The News Center
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