Cultural Exchange Activity

Drum Parades, Food Exhibitions, and Cultural Performances:
An Immersive Cross-Cultural Experience

The carnival kicked off with an energetic drum parade. International students from various countries, dressed in their traditional costumes and holding their national flags, marched to the rhythm of the drums while performing ethnic dances, filling the venue with a lively atmosphere.

The cultural food exhibition became the highlight of the event. Six flavor zones were set up—East Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and China—where international students served traditional dishes from their home countries: East Africa's injera flatbread, West Africa's jollof rice, Southern Africa's nshima (cornmeal porridge), North African and Middle Eastern om ali dessert and hibiscus juice, Southeast Asian herb-and-tamarind soup and tea-leaf salad... Each dish carried unique cultural memories. The China zone, in line with the Dragon Boat Festival tradition, specially offered honey-jujube zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). Chinese and international faculty and students alike savored the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western customs through the cuisine, experiencing the festive essence of traditional Chinese culture on their taste buds.

The stage performances were equally splendid, bringing together diverse art forms. Students from 19 countries took turns on stage, with the exuberance of African dance, the melody of traditional Cambodian and Burmese music, and the rhythm of African folk music drawing waves of applause and cheers.

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Free Exchanges: From "Cultural Display" to "Opportunity Connection"

Distinct from conventional campus cultural events, this carnival went beyond specialty food tastings and exotic performances by incorporating a dedicated open free-exchange session. A cultural handbook, *Panoramic Overview of World Cultures*, was concurrently released, systematically summarizing the cultural heritage, industrial endowments, and regional characteristics of 19 countries, providing reference materials for all participants. Drawing on the handbook's contents, Chinese faculty, corporate representatives, and international students engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as regional pillar industries, resource endowments, business environments, and key considerations for overseas operations of alumni-affiliated enterprises.

This is precisely the "SNAI signature" of the carnival. Since launching the Master of Professional Accounting (MPAcc) program for developing countries in 2015, the institute has cultivated a total of 277 international students from 36 countries, most of whom are young public officials working in finance, central banking, audit, and other public sectors of their home nations. This carnival served as a platform to transform these international talent resources into intellectual support for alumni enterprises going global.

"Such exchanges have given me a more tangible understanding of Chinese companies' needs in going overseas, and have also revealed more possibilities for cooperation between my country and China," said an international student from Botswana.