The opening ceremony of the 5th International Cultural Festival of Northeast Forestry University was held online at 6:30 p.m. Beijing time on 18 November. At the moment, the sun was shining in Moscow, the people in Tbilisi had just finished lunch, Bishkek was shrouded in an orange sunset, and cars were flowing in Jakarta's rush-hour. International students from all over the world, who had not yet returned to the campus, met together with their fellow students in the clouds to welcome the opening of the 5th International Cultural Festival.
“Hello everyone, today I will be your guide and show you the beautiful scenery here. I would like to welcome you all to my home country in the future!” said Shana Yap, a graduate student of forestry economics and management, showing his hometown to students online in Vientiane. The five continents style exhibition has opened the curtain of this year's festival. The NEFU students, both domestic and international, using the latest live video broadcasting, took on the role of “propaganda ambassadors” and led more than a hundred students in online observations of the “exotic customs” and the feeling of multiculturalism on their computers.
Each year, the festival is a “feast for the foodies”, and this year, most of the students, having experienced a long-time home life, improved their cooking skills and presented their best and most authentic dishes - Korean fried chicken, Vietnamese spring rolls, Georgian red wine, and so on. Faris and Nadia from Indonesia even made their own local specialty Rendang beef, with the special Rendang sauce echoing the aroma of the beef. All these delicacies brought water to audience’s mouths.
While the five continents style exhibition was on display, the enthusiastic students also prepared a wonderful cultural performance for everyone. Kang Yongju from South Korea used his rice spoon as a microphone to sing Post Malone's most famous workCircles at home, and Didiye, Bawaaba and Oboli from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) danced a traditional dance at the event and interacted with the students online: “Thank you for watching our dance, I hope you’ll enjoy it. This year's International Festival was fresh and fun, and it was particularly good to see a lot of old friends online who I hadn’t seen for a long time.”
A special online lucky draw was held to bring the event to a climax. Ihab, a graduate student in forestry engineering from Yemen, won the first prize and repeatedly asked his teachers to “keep my prize and I will collect it as soon as I return to school.” “I didn't expect to be able to take part in the festival in my own country, and I thank our university for always thinking of the students from abroad”, said Ihab. Students who watched the opening ceremony online also left comments on the live broadcast, “I miss the campus, I miss the teachers and my classmates, and I hope that all countries will unite together to fight the epidemic, so that we can return to our normal study life as soon as possible.”
At the opening ceremony, students from 17 countries represented their cultures and experienced the novelty of being cultural communicators of their countries, presenting the diverse cultures from natural scenery, folk culture, cuisine, costumes, songs and dances. Whether it is online or offline, in Harbin or in a foreign country, what has changed is the mode of communication, but what remains unchanged is the tenet of showcasing style, sharing laughter and exchanging cultures. This year’s festival also includes a series of activities such as online photography exhibitions and online academic forums, and our university will make every effort to open up a new space for cultural exchange activities for both domestic and international students.
