XJTLU Holds the 1st Suzhou Indonesian Cultural Festival

(XJTLU, China 22 Oct., 2010) The first Suzhou Indonesian Cultural Festival, co-organised by Indonesian students from Xi an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and Soochow University, made its debut today.

Ticket reservations for this event were made via SMS (text messages) and the festival attracted mass attention from students, who had already assembled themselves into a huge queue up to half an hour before the event.

The theatrical performances, inspired by a Chinese student s life in Indonesia, displayed the local tradition and customs in the combined medium of fashion show, folk dance, local commodities fair, live bands and choruses, giving the audience a fabulously diverse exhibition.

The two live bands, both composed of Indonesian students, yet distinct in style, greatly impressed the audience with their musical creativity and the goodwill conveyed throughout their performances. The two-hour show culminated in the choir s ode.

I m stunned at their fabulous performances; especially the folk dance. I really enjoy such cultural exchanges which brings me closer to foreign cultures. said a student from Soochow University, interviewed after the spectacle.

It is amazing, and I m thinking about taking on an Indian festival in the future. Raj, an Indian student of XJTLU said.

Witnessing the audience s enjoyment of the event, the crew members felt their efforts paid off. It took us 6 months to prepare, yet we enjoyed the process and we are expecting more to put on show in the future. said Eva, the crew leader, a third-year student at XJTLU.

XJTLU is committed to fostering an internationalised environment for students to study and live in. At present, there are more than one hundred overseas students in the University from more than twenty countries, including Indonesia, USA, UK and Malaysia, etc. The festival s spectacles, such as theme classrooms, gourmet festivals and gala performance, were all conceived and organised by the students themselves. They have played a very important role in promoting communications between students and the faculty.

(Reporter: Li Runsheng, Photos by Huang Huang, Editor: Weng Yaqiong, John Pooley)