University festival brings peoples together in cultural day of celebration

Dressed in exquisite traditional Indonesian batik attire, Wenny and her classmates were busy at their country's booth on the campus of Beijing Foreign Studies University, introducing visitors to the angklung, a traditional bamboo musical instrument. Curious young people and children shook the bamboo tubes, producing a series of melodious sounds.

Wenny, 20, is a second-year Indonesian student at Beijing Foreign Studies University, and her booth was one of many at this year's International Cultural Festival hosted by the university. The festival, held on Saturday, drew both Chinese and international students from various universities across Beijing, as well as local residents.

"It's an excellent opportunity to show our country's culture to young people. Very interesting," said Wenny.

They spent two weeks to prepare the booth. And the instruments and various exquisite batik fabrics displayed at their booth were provided with the support of the Indonesian Embassy in China.

Dozens of booths representing different countries lined both sides of the road, with international students from the university representing their respective countries. They displayed their culture, intangible heritage, tourism, arts, and cuisine to young people.

Visitors tried on hanbok (a traditional dress) at the Korean booth, got intricate henna designs on their hands at the Sri Lankan booth, and played Fanorona at the Madagascar booth. They also enjoyed international cuisine prepared by the international students, such as Vietnamese spring rolls, Pakistani biryani, and Malaysian nasi lemak.

The cultural festival is a brand campus event created by students of Beijing Foreign Studies University. Since its first edition in 2018, it has been successfully held three times. The event brings together young people from five continents through various forms such as multicultural booths, campus parades, and talent shows, creating a global exchange platform that transcends regions, languages, and cultures, said Kai Lin, a teacher from the Overseas Students Affairs Office at Beijing Foreign Studies University, which organized the event.

"Our school has international students from nearly 100 countries and resources in 102 languages. We aim to strengthen the connections and interactions among young people from various countries," said Kai.

Rabialahy Kantosoa from Beijing Technology and Business University plays Fanorona, a traditional two-player board game from Madagascar, with a Chinese young opponent at the Madagascar booth. They were deeply engaged in the game, and in the end, the Chinese student won. Onlookers were asking about the rules of the game.

Kantosoa said that, even though she is not a student at Beijing Foreign Studies University, she still feels it's important to help out and show their own culture on such an interesting platform.

She was drawn to a big parade after the game. It had students from many countries, all dressed in different clothes that showed their cultures. They walked around the campus together, celebrating their diversity and friendship.

In the parade, French students sported red berets. Japanese students wore kimonos and carried Hatsune Miku dolls. Students from Samoa wore frangipani flowers, while students from Sri Lanka held their distinctive wooden masks.

"The atmosphere of this festival is fantastic. You can feel global cultures right here on campus," she said.

It's not the first time Kantosoa took part in such kind of activities on Beijing's campus. With the number of international students growing in Beijing, many universities in the city host similar events to showcase various cultures and promote exchange, such as Beijing University of Technology, Beijing Language and Culture University, and University of International Business and Economics.

At a news conference held by the Ministry of Education in November, data revealed that students from a total of 195 countries and regions study in China.

Su Li, a local resident, has participated in such cultural activities multiple times with her two children. She took her children to visit many booths, experienced some projects and tried some delicious dishes at the cultural festival.

"We don't have to go abroad and can experience various cultures right on the campus, broadening our horizons. It's also a fantastic way for parents to educate their children," said Su.