Recently, 14 international students from seven different countries took on the role of "Campus History Guides" at the Putuo campus of ECNU. They toured historical buildings, recorded multilingual short videos, and narrated tales of campus history, collectively preserving and promoting the university's spirit.
Acting as Campus History Guides, the students introduced seven historical landmarks, including Siqun Hall, Qunxian Hall, Liwa River, Lihong Bridge, Chishui Bridge, and Xiayu Island, through 16 videos in seven languages: Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Arabic. By delving into historical records, they brought the "still scenery" to life as "living lessons," narrating the illustrious history of the university across time and space.
In the video of Siqun Hall, Yemenese master's student Mohsen Zinab Ahmed Mohammed from the School of International Chinese Studies explained fluently in Chinese: "ECNU was founded on October 16, 1951, and its inaugural meeting was held in Siqun Hall, not far from the Liwa River. Siqun Hall has always been the main venue for important meetings and events of ECNU, and it is one of the renowned historical buildings on campus, witnessing various crucial historical stages of the university's development."
Canadian undergraduate student Mitchell from the School of International Chinese Studies said, "Today, when you enter Qunxian Hall and sit in any classroom, you are deeply inspired and captivated by the long history of ECNU's cultural heritage and the glorious era that everyone praises."
"Participating in the video production about university history has been one of the most memorable activities this semester," said Nadezhad, a Russian language student from the School of International Chinese Studies. "I was able to learn interesting historical facts about the university and contribute to the creation of the videos. I became even more interested in the school's history, especially the Liwa River."
Moreover, the multilingual storytelling of campus history encouraged international students to view ECNU from a foreign perspective, providing a unique angle for audiences to understand China. Summing up the Campus History Guides’ experiences, South Korean undergraduate student Jung Yujin from the School of International Chinese Studies said, "I hope that through this video, I can help more international students understand the history of our university."
Author: Huang Siyin
Copy editor:Philip Nash
Editor: Wicky Xu
