By Yixuan Chen
On October 1, 2019, in order to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the University of Stirling held a series of events. Stirling Chinese Students & Scholars Association, Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication (BIGC), Nanjing University and Hebei Normal University helped in the organisation of the celebration. The participants included Professor Malcolm MacLeod, Senior Deputy Principal of the University of Stirling, Professor Chen Fenglan of the BIGC, Grace Wang, International Partnership Officer of the University of Stirling, and Damyan Kachulski, Program Director of the 2019-2020 short term programme of BIGC.
Although the overseas students were far away from home, they could not help expressing their joy and excitement. The students were enthusiastic in celebrating this significant festival with the people in their motherland, especially because this was the very first ever celebration of the Chinese culture on the Stirling campus.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China,
the students from the 2019-2020 cohort of the short term programme of BIGC and the Stirling Chinese Students & Scholars Association participated in the shooting of “Nation”, a music video which was launched on the school’s official platform and roll-playing on the scene of the 70th anniversary of the National Day of China held by the University of Stirling. To help with the shooting of the video, on September 25, 2019, the exchange students from BIGC went to the Wallace Monument. The cold wind could not cool down their enthusiasm. They showed their confidence and excitement and managed to portray this in the video shot in front of the Wallace Monument and various locations around campus.
In order to celebrate the Chinese National Day, the University of Stirling set up the Chinese Week – a week of events to celebrate and promote the Chinese culture including Chinese calligraphy, Chinese painting, Chinese tea making, Chinese cuisine and Chinese musical instruments. The Chinese students on stage at the opening ceremony managed to present the rich and vibrant 5,000-year history of China to their British classmates and lecturers.
At the opening ceremony of the Chinese Week, members of the short term programme of BIGC performed “Nation” and were greeted with loud applause.
We all sang: “I love my country and I love my home.” Our motherland has thrived over 70 years of glory. As the future successors of the People’s Republic of China, the students of the 2019-2020 short term exchange programme of BIGC would like to wish the motherland prosperous and long future!