2025 "Journey to the South of the Yangtze River in China" by Rasel High School of Girona, Spain

Kicks Off Successfully at Jiangsu University

On the morning of March 3rd, the cultural exchange activity "Journey to the South of the Yangtze River in China" by Rasel High School of Girona, Spain, was officially launched in the Second Lecture Hall of the Conference Center. Co-hosted by the School of Liberal Arts (Language and Culture Center) of Jiangsu University and Rasel High School of Girona in Spain, and co-organized by the Spanish Chinese Language Education Center, the event was also guided and supported by the Zhenjiang Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. Twenty-one students and two leading teachers from Rasel High School of Girona, Spain, gathered at Jiangsu University to embark on a cross-border cultural exchange journey. The opening ceremony was presided over by Professor Ren Xiaofei, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Director of the Language and Culture Center.

At the opening ceremony, Professor Chen Hong, Vice President of Jiangsu University, delivered a welcome speech. She briefly introduced the university’s history and characteristic disciplines, highlighted its advantages in international education, and emphasized the efforts and achievements of Jiangsu University in Chinese language education amid deepening international cooperation. President Chen stated that in 2023, the Spanish Chinese Language Education Center organized more than 10 overseas Chinese teenagers to visit Jiangsu University, and two years later, led over 20 students to the spring of the South of the Yangtze River across thousands of miles. This is not only a deepening of previous cooperation but also a vivid interpretation of Sino-Spanish educational exchanges.

Ms. Leonor San Martin, Vice Principal of Rasel High School of Girona in Spain, spoke on behalf of the leading team. She expressed sincere gratitude to the School of Liberal Arts (Language and Culture Center) for the meticulous planning and organization of this study tour, and shared her two daughters' sincere admiration for Chinese language and culture. Alex, the representative of the campers, also expressed the younger generation’s strong interest in Chinese language and culture in relatively fluent Chinese.

The opening ceremony featured a special segment: Chen Yuandong, President of Jiangsu University Press, was invited to demonstrate his calligraphy skills on site and presented the calligraphy work "Heaven Rewards Diligence" to the Spanish guests from afar. The fragrance of ink on the paper not only carries Jiangsu University’s cherished value and blessings for international friendship but also symbolizes the profound heritage and bright prospects of cultural exchanges between China and Spain.

After the opening ceremony, the campers visited the Jiangsu University History Museum, the China Agricultural Machinery Culture Exhibition Hall, and the National Pump Engineering Research Center. They spoke highly of Jiangsu University’s outstanding contributions to the modernization of agriculture in China and even the world.

Also present at the opening ceremony were Huang Bei, Vice Chairperson and Secretary-General of the Zhenjiang Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; Hong Haifeng, Principal of the Spanish Chinese Language Education Center; Qu Yunjin, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Liberal Arts; Yu Hongyan, Vice Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Deputy Director of the Language and Culture Center, as well as all campers, staff, and university student volunteers.

Closely integrating Zhenjiang’s regional characteristics with excellent traditional Chinese culture, this exchange activity has designed a series of rich and colorful cultural experience courses for the campers, including the study and practice of world intangible cultural heritage and traditional crafts such as Song Dynasty tea ceremony, guqin art, Taiping clay whistles, and traditional Chinese painting. In addition, the campers will visit scenic spots such as Jinshan Temple (a famous ancient Buddhist temple in the South of the Yangtze River), the Legend of the White Snake Cultural Park, the China Vinegar Culture Museum, and the Confucius Temple Cultural Block in Nanjing, to deeply experience the historical heritage and cultural charm of the South of the Yangtze River in China.

(Photos/Text: Tian Haihong, Xue Fan)