International students in Dalian get a firsthand glimpse of idyllic rural Chinese life.
A hundred international students from six universities in Dalian, Liaoning province, visit a local village on June 19 to pick cherries from trees and to witness China's rural vitalization in action. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Toktomatova Tursunai, an international student from Kyrgyzstan who is studying at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (DUFE), visited a rural village in the western outskirts of Dalian, Liaoning province, last month to witness China's rural vitalization in action.
"Fresh off the tree, the cherries are really delicious," said the 22-year-old. "It was the first time for me to pick cherries from a tree and also the first time to see so many different varieties of cherries at an orchard."
On June 19, 100 international students from six universities in Dalian participated in the social practice and cultural experience activity.
In Cha'an village of Ganjingzi district, the students visited the local kindergarten, the Party service square, a village-owned company, and ecological scenic spots to learn about the village infrastructure and the living conditions of residents.
"It was an unforgettable experience to witness the rural life there and be surrounded by nature, chatting with students from different countries," Tursunai said in fluent Chinese. "The teacher gave us a lecture there about China's 'Three Rural Issues' (agriculture, rural areas and farmers). By being immersed in the environment there, I could better understand the content of the lecture."
The undergraduate student studied Chinese at a Confucius Institute in her homeland. She was awarded an International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship and got the chance to study for a semester at DUFE in Dalian from March to July.
As she is about to return home, Tursunai feels reluctant to part from the coastal city's good weather and beautiful sea. She said she plans to apply for postgraduate study in China.
A hundred international students from six universities in Dalian, Liaoning province, visit a local village on June 19 to pick cherries from trees and to witness China's rural vitalization in action. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Through this activity, the international students gained a better understanding of Dalian's efforts and achievements in implementing China's rural vitalization strategy — improving infrastructure and strengthening social governance at the grassroots level.
The village, which boasts forest, lake, mountain and grassland, is a leisure and entertainment hot spot for people in Dalian. While experiencing some of the scenic facilities, international students also learned about the development of an experiential education base and fruit cultivation research practice base.
When the staff said that people could enjoy camping, barbecuing, and fishing in summer, as well as skiing in winter, some of the students said that they would come back with their friends for a trip.
"China is developing not only its urban areas but also rural areas. In rural areas, the development focuses on different aspects, for example, agriculture and tourism," said Carla Estefania Samaniego, 33, who comes from Ecuador.
She and her friends have visited the area many times.
"It is not far from downtown. It's like the backyard of the city," she said, adding that they can get there easily by subway and then bus.
"People who are living in this village are really having a good life surrounded by beautiful scenery and places to entertain," she commented.
In recent years, Cha'an village has worked hard on the integration of urban and rural areas and the building of a more developed countryside. It has witnessed remarkable progress in promoting a good rural living environment and healthy lifestyle for the villagers as well as the construction of an ecological civilization.
A hundred international students from six universities in Dalian, Liaoning province, visit a local village on June 19 to pick cherries from trees and to witness China's rural vitalization in action. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
It has won many honorary titles, including being named one of the top 20 ecological and civilized villages in Dalian, a characteristic village in Liaoning province featuring leisure agriculture and rural tourism, and a national agricultural tourism demonstration site.
At the village, Shen Dongzhen, an associate professor of DUFE, gave a lecture on how China is dealing with rural issues, covering topics such as solving the "Three Rural Issues" and the rural vitalization strategy.
Student representatives from China, Russia, India, Yemen, Thailand and South Africa also shared information on the state of agriculture in their own countries and discussed issues related to food security and agricultural imports and exports.
"Rural areas in different countries have different characteristics, but some problems are universal," said Samaniego. "In this village, we see a Chinese solution. The environment here is good and efforts are being made to create local employment opportunities for villagers."
Samaniego, who went to DUFE to study for a master's degree in 2016, said she enjoys her life in China.
"I can say that China has given me everything, including my husband," she joked. She met her Russian husband, Takhir Khamidullin, at the university. Both of them are now PhD candidates.
The activity was sponsored by the China Scholarship Council, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Ministry of Education, and co-organized by the publicity department of the Dalian Committee of the Communist Party of China and DUFE.
Since 2016, more than 600 international students from over 60 countries have participated in the activity program. Participating students have visited the Dalian Jinpu New Area, Wangfangdian, and many other areas of the coastal city, deepening their understanding of the city and the country as a whole.
A hundred international students from six universities in Dalian, Liaoning province, visit a local village on June 19 to pick cherries from trees and to witness China's rural vitalization in action. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
The couple has participated in the program several times. This time, they expressed a desire to interact more with the local people to get a deeper understanding of their lives.
"At the kindergarten, we played games together with the children. But the language barrier limited our communication with them," said Khamidullin, 29.
"I saw a villager practicing calligraphy on the ground at the square. He wrote with a brush and bucket of water," he recalled. "If I could speak more Chinese, I might have started a conversation with him, asking how he felt when he saw his beautiful calligraphy disappear off the ground so soon."
Pakistani student Ahmad Aziz Sheikh, 27, also expressed an interest in getting closer to the local people and gaining a better understanding of their way of life.
He often shares videos on social media that document his life in Dalian, and his friends back home were surprised to see a different side of China through his videos.
"Everyone is curious about the lives of ordinary Chinese people, what they eat, and how they live," he said.
"Although most of the people we met in the village are friendly, we can't get to know them more because of the language barrier," he added.
Syed Hussain Murtaza, 27, also from Pakistan, also uses social media to share his China experiences.
"Up till now, one of my most-liked posts is of some photos I took at a local temple," he said. "I felt a sense of freedom there, without being treated differently for being a foreigner. No one stopped me from doing anything."
Murtaza said he hopes to stay in China for longer and will keep sharing his stories to help more people in other parts of the world get to know the country better.
