Culture and Arts Exhibition by School of International Culture and Tourism

          Exhibition by School of Artificial Intelligence

On the afternoon of June 12, 2024, the 16th International Culture and Arts Festival of Jilin International Studies University grandly opened on campus. Against the backdrop of thoroughly studying and implementing President Xi Jinping’s important expositions on dialogue among civilizations and mutual recognition through exchanges, and celebrating the first International Day of Civilizations Dialogue, this year’s festival is themed on “Sharing Multiculturalism and Building Bridges for Artistic Integration,” featuring 12 outdoor themed cultural and art exhibition areas that highlight the integration of professionalism with culture and art, fully displaying the cultural customs and artistic characteristics of various nations worldwide. The opening ceremony was held at the Central Square of the school. President Qin He announced the opening of the Festival and visited the outdoor themed cultural and art exhibitions by JISU’s various schools.

Promoting interdisciplinary and cross-major exchanges and building a campus cultural system with global multicultural characteristics are the primary objectives of the International Culture and Arts Festival. “Let us pass through 15 cultural tourism gates connecting China and foreign countries to experience up close the cultural characteristics of famous tourist cities in China, Japan, South Korea, Arabia, Mongolia, Thailand, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other countries, and feel the cultural charm of Eastern countries,” said Li Yue, an exhibition guide from the School of Oriental Languages and a fourth-year student majoring in English and Korean. Her fascinating introduction attracted numerous teachers and students. Under her guidance, students of various majors immersed themselves in the cultural feasts of Eastern countries through singing and dancing performances, instrumental performances, hands-on exhibit-making experiences, and food tasting. “It’s like embarking on a journey of world culture without even leaving the school,” said Li Yue excitedly.

“Connecting the World through Language, Bridging the Future through Speech” is the theme of the exhibition area of the School of Central and Eastern European Languages. Students majoring in Russian, Polish, Hungarian, Serbian, Czech, and Ukrainian showcased the cultural charm of Central and Eastern European countries with traditional cuisines, handicrafts, and performances such as singing and dancing from their respective language countries. This is the result of over a month of preparation by all the faculty and students of the school. “From conceptual planning to creating exhibition boards and rehearsing dances, we applied what we learned in class to innovative practices, further broadening our perspectives,” said Wang Yiru, a junior Ukrainian major from the School of Central and Eastern European Languages. “Through language, we experience culture, and through culture, our language is enriched. This is the greatest inspiration the Festival has brought us. As foreign language learners, we have a responsibility to leverage our expertise in the construction of the “Belt and Road” and strive to preserve and promote the world’s outstanding cultures and civilizations.” She added. Starting from the campus, reaching out to the city, and moving toward the world is the design concept of the exhibition area of the School of International Arts. Through a combination of dynamic and static displays, faculty and students integrated the unique features of the Visual Communication Design and Broadcasting and Hosting Arts programs into the development of JISU, Changchun, and even the world. The “Yi Tong He” thematic design exhibition is the graduation project of Yan Yu, a 2024 Visual Communication Design graduate, and also a graduation gift he dedicated to Changchun. “As a student from Anhui, I have lived and studied in Changchun for years. For me, it is no longer just a city. I hope to use my professional knowledge to promote and showcase Changchun’s culture, expressing my love for this city,” Yan Yu said. In the “JISU Live Studio” of the exhibition area, Zhou Xiuze, a freshman majoring in Broadcasting and Hosting Arts, performed an original clapper talk. “I hope to use traditional performing arts to narrate JISU’s nearly 30-year history and convey its motto of “Integrating Chinese and Foreign Cultures, Cultivating Motivation and Talent.”

In the exhibition area of the School of Artificial Intelligence, faculty and students experienced firsthand advancements and innovations in artificial intelligence technology, such as speech recognition and intelligent recommendation systems, brought about by new productive forces. Wu Zhe, a junior majoring in Artificial Intelligence, explained, “With the progress and development of technology, artificial intelligence has become inseparable from our daily lives. We have integrated theoretical analysis, case studies, and interactive experiences to allow visitors to gain an in-depth understanding of AI technology while experiencing the endless charm of intelligent technology. We hope that AI technology will receive more attention and anticipation, further inspiring students’ enthusiasm for in-depth learning and research exploration.”

The 16th International Culture and Arts Festival spanned one month and included six distinctive segments: the opening ceremony and outdoor thematic culture and arts exhibition, the cultural forum, the appreciation of high art, the  exchange and mutual learning lecture series, the Chinese and foreign cultural brand series activities, and the closing ceremony performance and awards ceremony. Through events such as the Top Singer Competition and the Etiquette Style Competition, students’ talents were fully showcased. Professional activities like Shakespearean drama performances, micro-lecture design competitions, and multilingual speech contests were held to ignite students’ enthusiasm for learning. The Chinese Classics Recitation and Writing Competition was organized to foster a culture of reading and build a scholarly campus. Events such as symphony concerts and traditional opera performances on campus allowed both Chinese and international faculty and students to experience the charm of culture and arts. In “Cultural Envoy Lecture” series, renowned experts and scholars were invited to deliver thematic reports. Activities like the World Multicultural Knowledge Competition and the “Global Village” Open Day broadened students’ international perspectives, inspiring them to set the goal of “learning foreign languages to better serve the country,” striving to become bridges for cultural exchange between China and the world.

The International Culture and Arts Festival is the highest-level, largest-scale, and most influential international cultural exchange event jointly participated in, planned, and organized by all faculty and students of JISU. It is an integral part of the school’s aesthetic education, practical teaching, ideological and political education, extracurriculum activities, and campus culture development. Serving as a practical platform for cultivating students’ language proficiency, professional practice skills, cross-cultural communication abilities, and innovative capabilities, it plays a significant role in deepening professional understanding, enhancing cultural appreciation, broadening international perspectives, and promoting interdisciplinary and cross-major exchanges. It has now become a brand for professional practice, an important initiative for promotion of ethical values, and a key vehicle for fostering distinctive campus culture.

                     Jilin International Studies University News