On December 17, Dalian University of Foreign Languages hosted the "Harmony Between China and the World · Narrating the East" Gala for the Chinese Story-Telling Competition for Chinese and international students at the Qihang Building Auditorium. Chinese and foreign students gathered together, taking language as a bridge and art as a medium, to co-present a magnificent cultural exchange event that integrates Eastern and Western civilizations and connects ancient traditions with modern developments. All university leaders, directors of relevant functional departments, Party and government heads of secondary units, and representatives of teachers and students watched the gala.
Centered on the three themes of "trustworthy, lovely, and respectable," the gala unfolded progressively to showcase a true, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive China. Outstanding works that won awards including the Golden Voice Award for Excellent Narration, the Torch-Bearing Award for Inheritance Leadership, the Youth Envoy Award for Friendship, the Award for International Communication Excellence, the Award for Undertaking the Mission of Building a Strong Nation, and the Award for Dialogue on Civilizational Mutual Learning were presented one after another on stage. More than 100 Chinese and international students from over 10 countries jointly told Chinese stories in Chinese, fully demonstrating the university’s achievements in internationalized education and talent cultivation, and vividly fulfilling the mission and responsibility of foreign language universities in the new era to promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning and enhance international communication capabilities.
In his important speech on May 31, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly proposed to "tell China’s stories well, spread China’s voice well, and present a true, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive China." He urged foreign language universities to better shoulder the mission of international communication and let cultural confidence be filled with youthful vitality. Giving full play to its disciplinary advantages in multi-lingualism and cross-cultural studies, the university has built a platform for in-depth collaboration, integration, and innovation among Chinese and foreign students. It encourages them to express their emotions sincerely through common language and art, and consciously take on the youthful mission of telling Chinese stories and promoting cultural mutual learning. In the process of co-creation and interpretation, Chinese and foreign students have strengthened interactions and exchanges, deepened friendships, improved cross-cultural communication and narrative abilities, and enhanced international students’ understanding of China’s history, culture, and contemporary development. They have truly become cultural envoys connecting China and foreign countries, contributing youthful wisdom and strength to enhancing the dissemination and influence of Chinese civilization and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. (By Zhai Rui)
