West meets East as students visit Chinese partner universities

A dozen students from the Chinese language program at the University of Western Sydney have attended the world renowned China Winter camp at Jinan University in Guangzhou, a leading university and key institutional partner of UWS.

During their time in China the students, from the School of Humanities and Communication Arts, toured contemporary Chinese cities and were deeply immersed in study and traditional recreational activities, giving them the opportunity to practise their Chinese language skills to a native audience.

The leader of the UWS China Liaison Unit, Dr Ruying Qi, says the camp shows how the University’s strong ties in China are being used to offer students unique educational experiences.

“To help them on make this trip, our students were offered William Chiu Travel Scholarships and Jinan In-Country Study Scholarships, which promote short-term Chinese language and culture study in China,” she says.

“In the end the programme was a life-changing experience for the students, as it opened their eyes, unlocked their minds, connected their hearts and built the future for Australia and Asia.”

The UWS student representative, Yongfeng Wen, says the trip gave her valuable new insights into China.

“This camp has challenged me greatly and increased my desire to learn everything I can about China, its language, culture and society,” she says.

“It really was a precious learning opportunity, and I’m truly grateful to have been given this chance.”

The Dean of Humanities and Communication Arts, Professor Peter Hutchings, was the initiator of the UWS-Jinan partnership and the key organizer of the camp.

“Opportunities like this help UWS create new and engaging partnerships with China while also expanding our students’ global awareness,” he says.

“The success of the China Winter Camp study tour is a great example of a joint-scholarship programme with a partner university in China, and it’s already attracted significant attention in China, which helps promote our profile in this important country.”

Ends

21 February 2014

Contact: Mark Smith, Senior Media Officer