On December 22, the 2^ndInternational Culture Festival of Guilin Medical University grandly started at International Education and Exchange Center on Lingui Campus. This festival took“Gathering at Colorful GLMU and Enjoying a Cultural Feast”as the theme, and was broadcast live online. The representatives of the United Front Work Department of CPC Guilin Municipal Committee, Foreign Affairs Office of Guilin Municipal People’s Government, the colleges and universities in Guilin, and Guangxi Normal Universities for Nationalities, and some Chinese and foreign students of the colleges and universities, participated in this grand activity. President Zhang Zhiyong, Vice President Ma Xianli and the heads of the functional departments and colleges and schools of GLMU attended the opening ceremony, which was chaired by the head of College of International Education of GLMU.

Zhang Zhiyong addressed the opening ceremony. He pointed out that GLMU had been upholding an open, inheriting and cooperative attitude since the establishment. On the one hand, it was dedicated to promoting the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and on the other, it actively explored new pathways and forms of educational opening-up to the outer world, and ceaselessly boosted the exchanges and mutual learning of excellent Chinese and foreign cultures.He hoped that through this international culture festival, all participants would be able to jointly enjoy the international cultural feast, appreciate the Chinese and foreign students’charms, and explore the pathways to upgrade and develop the educational internationalization in the middle and west regions in the post-pandemic era.

Taking cultural exhibition and exchange as the carrier, this international culture festival included Traditional Chinese Culture Exhibition, International Delicacy Exhibition, and a picture exhibition with three big themes. By experiencing the traditional crafts as intangible cultural heritages, these Chinese and overseas students deeply understood the charm of Chinese culture and Guilin’s dense civil customs and ethnic styles. In the dialogue of Chinese and overseas delicacies, they tasted the crash and blending of diverse cultures on the tips of their tongues. Besides, the photos of fighting against the pandemic in the picture exhibition vividly explained the persistence and undertaking of the people of GLMU in the prevention and control of COVID-19.

In the section of international educational forum with“The Developmental Trend and Strategies of the Educational Internationalization in the Middle and West Regions in the Post-Pandemic Era”as the theme, the representatives of the colleges and universities and Foreign Affairs Office of Guilin Municipal People’s Government had discussions about the latest status and developmental trend of international education in the post-pandemic era,and the challenges it will face, and reached a consensus on the international exchange activity with the brand of“One Hundred College Students in Guilin Viewing the World”. They hoped to build up a platform for the international education and exchanges in the middle and west regions, forge a little highland for Guangxi’s international education and exchanges, and promote the internationalization of Guangxi’s education.

An evening gala with the theme of“Joint Far Sailing Loaded with Ethereal Dreams and Brilliant Chapters”was held at the culture festival. The colleges and universities in Guilin and College of International Education, Clinical College, Office of Retired Faculty and Staff Affairs and P.E. Department of GLMU respectively put on their excellent show. The gala was wonderful, and the audience was passionate. By singing, dancing, playing instruments, and reciting poems, the Chinese and foreign students displayed their charms, strengthened their links, and deepened their friendship. The harmonious exchange between excellent Chinese and foreign cultures culminated on the stage.

Since it was held for the first time in 2019, International Culture Festival of GLMU has received positive comments from different angles of society. As the colleagues of international education and international students of the colleges and universities in Guilin passionately participated in it, its influence increased year by year, and it has become GLMU’s yearly grand meeting in culture and brand activity, which steadily promotes GLMU’s educational internationalization.

(Written by: Lin Qiaobin; Photo by: CIE; Reviewed by: Wei Bing; 

Translated by: Zhang Yuming)