150 students from 40 countries gain mutual exchange in Zhejiang

“We come from different countries and universities, but the shared experiences of these three days have become some of our warmest memories in China,” said Angelica Tiora, an Indonesian student at Zhejiang University. She gained lots of new international friends during the 4-day Yangtze River Delta Student Academic Symposium and Social Practice Program.

Hosted by the China Scholarship Council and organized by Zhejiang University, the 3rd Yangtze River Delta Student Academic Symposium and Social Practice Program was held from May 24 to 27 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. More than 150 students and faculty members from 24 universities across the Yangtze River Delta region, representing 40 countries including China, Germany, Russia, New Zealand, Singapore, Pakistan, Iran, Malaysia and Zimbabwe joined the event. Young people from around the world, each bringing their own academic pursuits and cultural perspectives, embarked on a four-day journey of mutual exchange in Hangzhou.

Academia beyond borders:

A presentation, a remarkable connection

The event opened with keynote speeches delivered by experts from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhejiang University. Parallel sessions covering engineering and technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, agriculture, life sciences and environmental studies, as well as humanities and social sciences soon followed, giving students the opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions within their respective fields.

Parallel Sessions

After the exchanges, student Jiang Yuqi from Zhejiang University said that the Academic exchange is not just about listening to presentations. It also allowed Jiang to see the diverse ways researchers from different cultural backgrounds approach the same scientific questions. Yasin Amara Sekou S Dra, a doctoral student from Mali at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, shared an unexpected story of reconnection. Among the judges evaluating his presentation was a Zhejiang University professor who had once sent him his doctoral admission offer years ago. Now, they met in a different setting, just like a reunion neither of them had anticipated.

Beyond the campus: understanding China

through Anji and Jiande

Academic exchange sparked intellectual inspiration, and the following social practice activities created emotional resonance. In Yucun Village, Anji, known as the birthplace of the “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” , students walked among hills and streams, witnessing how a former mining village transformed itself into an ecological paradise on-site. Sidorova Kristina, a master’s student from Russia at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, was deeply impressed by the vibrant energy of Zhejiang’s rural revitalization as she stood surrounded by the village’s lush greenery.

Meanwhile, Chinese and international students explored the an c i ent village in Jiande. When they walked along the alley, they can see the stone-paved roads, white-walled houses with dark tiled roofs . These ordinary scenes of daily rural life became some of the most memorable moments of these students. Zhou Xingxing, a Zhejiang University student shared: “Young people from different countries can always find common ground in the beauty we experience together.”

Digital intelligence:

when AI meets international students

When people think of Hangzhou, one of the first things that comes to mind is its cutting-edge artificial intelligence industry. During the event, participants also visited the Future Learning Center at Zhejiang University, where they experienced a creative “collision” with AI technologies. Students from different countries were amazed by the possibilities of emerging technologies from interactive AI agents, smart agricultural robots, and AI innovation workshops.

“Learning transcends borders, and practice carries us far. ” The event may have come to an end, but the exchange continues. After four days together across Zhejiang’s campuses, mountains, and ancient towns, the 150 young participants from around the world experienced a vivid, multidimensional, and deeply human side of China. And this is only the beginning of many more stories yet to unfold.

Journalist & editor: Fang Jingyi

Senior editor: Zhou Ji, Li Zheng

Source: Hangzhoufeel