This month saw several fun events happening at the British Cultural Centre (BCC) part of the International Culture Park at the University of Shanghai for Science & Technology (USST).
Most of April was dedicated to entertaining our international guests from the UK’s Coventry University, who were visiting us as part of our two universities’ annual exchange programme.
Our range of activities this year also included Taiji and Chinese tea culture at the Tong Xin Community Centre, Tong Chuang Rd, the second such community centre in Putuo District; where we enjoyed a wonderful day of activities. Thank you to Mr. Li Bin, Manager of Tong Xin Community Centre for receiving us and offering such great hospitality!
DDA’s Rose Oliver, who’s also the Director of the BCC, and Master Wang Ming Bo also had a great time introducing Taiji to the group of visiting UK exchange students. Thanks to DDA’s Master Wang Ming Bo for sharing his knowledge of Taiji and calligraphy with our students; and a big thank you to Ms. Xu Min for introducing our guests to the history and background of Chinese tea; the UK students thoroughly enjoyed sharing Taiji ‘secrets’, delicious teas, and fun with us all!
Sharing and enjoying traditional Chinese culture with international students visiting the BCC is one way to bring young people together and create meaningful dialogue, and of course friendships that promote real cultural exchange! Always fun and a pleasure to participate in Peking Opera; glad our visitors from Coventry University also had the chance to experience one of China’s traditional cultural treasures! Thank you to Ms. Cao Hui for another wonderful lecture yet again!
Of course, it’s always sad to say goodbye to our international guests. This trip our guests enjoyed Taiji, calligraphy, Peking Opera, cultural exchange, Chinese cuisine, academic learning and fun; but most of all, everyone came together in a true spirit of friendship, gaining a deeper understanding and mutual appreciation for both our cultural diversity and similar traditions.
It’s been a pleasure hosting our guests from Coventry; I’m sure the friendships made this year will be lifelong treasures for both our international guests and our local students here at the BCC.
We’ll be looking forward to another great exchange visit again next year! I’m sure it’s going to be another wonderful visit with our international friends and another chance to enjoy lifelong friendships and meaningful cultural exchange!
Thanks also to Ms. Steph Watters, from Shanghai Lifeline and their partnership programme, ‘R U OK?’, for her wonderful talk at the BCC in April.
As part of the BCC’s ‘Business Professionals Lectures’, Steph introduced the ‘R U OK?’ student care programme, which details how to recognize the effects of stress on oneself and others, as well as how to help others cope and talk, before reaching a crisis point in their lives.
Thanks very much to Steph for sharing her wisdom and experience with our students from both USST and Coventry University, everyone attending benefitted greatly from her expertise! We’re looking forward to working with Steph at the BCC again in the future!