International students from five universities in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area gather for a Chinese New Year celebration on Jan 21. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
International students from five universities in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area gathered on Tuesday for a group celebration of the upcoming Chinese New Year, gaining an immersive experience of traditional Chinese culture while promoting exchanges through diverse activities on campus.
Organized by the Shanghai Ocean University, the celebration featured a feast of delicacies, performances, and interactive activities such as writing couplets, making lacquer fans, getting pearls from shells, and setting off fireworks.
The Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai Dianji University and Shanghai Jian Qiao University are located close to each other in Lin-gang. They hold celebration events separately for the students staying for Spring Festival, and this is the first time the five universities joined hands to provide a platform to connect, exchange and share, according to the organizer.
International students from five universities in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area gather for a Chinese New Year celebration on Jan 21. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
A total of around 1,600 domestic and international students and teachers from these five universities are staying on campus for scientific research over the Chinese New Year holiday, said the organizer.
Among the 400 representatives attending the celebration, many were international students pursuing their dreams in China. Atanimango Karotu, a 23-year-old graduate student from the Pacific island state Kiribati, is one of them. Serving as a temporary official for the statistic unit at the Ministry of Fisheries and Resource Development in her country, she is pursuing a master's degree in fisheries resources at Shanghai Ocean University. Wearing a traditional Chinese dress, she said she was "so excited" as she celebrates her first Chinese New Year.
"Our country is a very small one and we don't have many resources. We depend on our marine resources to drive our economy, especially the tuna. I hope I can become an expert on the marine resource field. Also, there are a lot of projects that China is now doing in our country, and I do hope I can learn the Chinese language well and contribute to the cooperation between the two nations in the future," she said.
International students from five universities in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area gather for a Chinese New Year celebration on Jan 21. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Karotu is not the only one who aims to bring the Chinese wisdom and experience back to her country. Kamara Abdulai Merry, a doctoral student from Sierra Leone, shares similar goals.
Coming to China in 2022, Kamara got his master's degree from a university in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, and is now exploring further in aquaculture and rice and fish farming at Shanghai Ocean University.
"My country is situated in West Africa, and we are bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west. We have abundant natural resources that support agriculture and aquaculture. Agriculture is the backbone of my country, and the majority of the people depend on it to generate income," he said, highlighting the importance of "sustainable and healthy production" approaches, such as the rice and fishing farming system.
International students from five universities in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area gather for a Chinese New Year celebration on Jan 21. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Regarding his study and research in China as the "gateway" for his nation's development in the future, Kamara expects gaining experience here could make a difference back at home.
"We are still at the embryonic stage of aquaculture, but my direction of mixing agriculture and aquaculture, I think, can be a very good technique to alleviate the livelihood of the farmers in my country," he added.
Welcoming his third Chinese New Year, Kamara, who loves hotpot the most, said he will keep working on his research over the holiday. "China is actually like a home to me. China and Sierra Leone have a very good relationship, and most of our infrastructural development and agriculture has been supported by China. I am lucky to be here to pursue this path, and I will go back and give significantly back to the society in my nation."
