Feast for Cosmopolitan Cultures

Peking University, Sept. 29, 2010: With live orchestra from Peking University Student Symphony Orchestra, the 7th annual International Cultural Festival (ICF) unveiled at PKU on the morning of Sept. 29. As the year 2010 marks the 60th anniversary of international students studying in the People's Republic of China, the festive charm is particularly rich around the campus.

The theme of the ICF 2010 is "Green Campus" aimed at cultivating a global vision and building a low-carbon campus. Series activities are scheduled for the coming months, such as fellowship alumni meeting, photography exhibition, open-air games, and Chinese speaking contest and singing contest among international students, in order to exhibit the international atmosphere of confidence, openness, and inclusiveness of PKU.

Banner of PKUICF 2010

The 49 exhibition booths at the square in front of PKU Hall, representing 44 countries and regions, served as bridges for sharing both their experiences in promoting environmental awareness and their unique cultures, especially the cultures of mutual understanding and integration in a globalized time. "Like what our Nepali and Chinese ancestors had been doing through the passages in the Himalaya, people of different cultures can and will interact with each other despite geographical obstacles," said Bhaskar Koirala, presenting a brochure in Chinese and English of an introduction to his motherland in the booth of Nepal during the exhibition.

Koirala is currently a PhD candidate at Peking University and member of the China Study Center in Kathmandu. As the only Nepali presently studying in PKU, "I never feel lonely or alone, because of my fellow friends right here on campus as well as the Nepali community in Beijing," said he.

PKU Vice President Li Yansong's Welcoming Address

Sponsored by China's Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, the Office of Chinese Language Council International, and Beijing Municipal People's Government, the ICF is a platform of PKU's international exchange and cooperation, with an increasing influence in and outside campus over the years. For six years, the annual feast has become a window of the university for people around the world..

Besides appreciating music and dances featuring various cultures at the central stage, participants could also enjoy themselves through stamps of this exhibition. They could get a passport at the entrance and after collecting all stamps from booths of different countries and regions and voting for the best ones, they would receive a souvenir. However, this was not so easy times when the participants needed to answer certain questions about the very culture correctly in order to be stamped. The frequently asked questions were, for example, "Name five celebrities from our country," "What's the capital city of our country," or "Who's the president of our country." In rare cases like in the booth of Malaysia, the hosts asked about the inventor of the flash disk.

Up-close at Central Stage

Each booth on exhibition featured the individualities of the particular culture. Students from the United States were typical with paintings of two black strips under their eyes, which are usually applied to American football players to reduce the reflection of sunlight and protect their eyes. Many participants, who could try the black strips themselves, were also invited to join in a traditional American game: There's a big basin with apples floating inside. The rule is to get an apple out with mouth only. The trick is to hold breath, press the apple down to the bottom, take a big bite and then get out. "I'm really having a great time," one participant said.

In the booth of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the exhibit was highlighted by two magnificent portraits of DPRK's leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il as usual.

The grand gala to mark the 60th anniversary of the admission of international students to study in PRC was held at 14:30-16:15 in PKU Hall that day, and it carried the theme "study in China, connect the world."

China's State Councilor Liu Yandong attended the gala, after visiting the booths of US and Russia and talking with international students at the festival.

"The International Cultural Festival plays a crucial role in enhancing the cultural interaction between Chinese and international students," said Liu.

Extended Reading:

Sixth Annual International Cultural Festival Unveils at PKU

The International Cultural Festival 2010

Reported by: Ma Xiao

Edited by: Jacques