With the 2023 Chinese New Year approaching, representatives of international experts from Shanghai International Study University (SISU) were invited to a series of cultural exchange activities hosted by the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Shanghai Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs).
On the afternoon of January 12, Foreign Experts Reception for Spring Festival and “Foreign Talents in Shanghai” Salon, were held in Shanghai. Professor Gafar Karar Ahmed K., a Sudanese expert from the China-Arab Research Center on Reform and Development (CARC) of SISU, was invited to deliver a speech.
On behalf of all foreign experts from SISU, Professor Gafar said that this salon not only expressed foreign experts' welcome and celebration of Chinese New Year, but also showed the delight of the common victory over the COVID-19 pandemic. He looked forward to that, the Year of the Rabbit would not only bring prosperity, longevity, and peace, but also be full of joy, happiness, and long-lasting friendship.
Featuring traditional Chinese culture, the Salon showcased various intangible cultural heritage, such as Suzhou embroidery and paper-cutting, to foreign experts. They also enjoyed live pipa and guzheng performances, Chinese Spring Festival couplets, calligraphy, and tea art as well. Li Meng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Director of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, and Huang Hong, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality and of Shanghai Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, attended this event and delivered speeches online in Beijing and offline in Shanghai respectively. They conveyed their New Year wishes and regards to foreign experts working and living in Shanghai, and hoped that they would continue to make contributions in the fields of scientific research, technological innovation, talent education, and cross-cultural communication.
On the evening of January 13, 2023 Shanghai New Year Gala for Foreign Experts was broadcast live online. This elaborate cultural feast for foreign experts and international friends in Shanghai, was co-hosted by two faculty members from SISU, Associate Professor Hu Chunchun from the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance & Area Studies, and Professor Gwendonila Jeanne C Bouvier, a Belgian foreign expert from the Institute of Corpus Studies and Applications. It is also the first time that a non-Chinese foreign expert in Shanghai was invited to co-host the online gala with a domestic expert since its inception.
The performance was broadcasted live on various platforms, including the Bilibili online platform and the Shanghai Science and Technology WeChat video channel. More than 2,400 foreign experts in Shanghai and overseas talents from all over the world enjoyed it online. Besides jazz, symphonic music, modern musicals, traditional Chinese Peking Opera, and ancient Chinese poems singing, the performance also featured the Chinese song Grandma's Penghu Bay sung by foreign choirs and the famous Chinese ballad Jasmine Flower co-performed by foreign pianists and domestic dance troupes in different places. Combining Chinese and Western cultures, the Gala received high praise from foreign experts.
Internationalization is the name card of Shanghai and also the core value of SISU. We sincerely encourage and recommend foreign experts to participate in events and conferences of the state and Shanghai at all levels, to display their excellence and contribute their wisdom, and deliver the voice of SISU for the development of China and Shanghai.
