Bridging cultures, building futures: SZ Daily x HITSZ School of Future Studies

To explore how to better provide a home-away-from-home for international students, create more engaging events, and help them connect with Shenzhen, Shenzhen Daily visited the School of Future Studies at the Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen (HITSZ) on Nov. 4 for a seminar on international cultural exchange and collaboration.

Xu Mingyuan, deputy head of the school, delivered an opening speech to welcome the Shenzhen Daily delegation. She highlighted the college's significant international community, which includes over 1,000 students from more than 50 countries, constituting 45% of the university's total international student population.

"We are delighted to have this opportunity to host today's discussions and work together," Xu said. "Through this visit, we hope to brainstorm new ideas, cooperate on impactful media products, and empower our international students to become ambassadors for both our university and the city of Shenzhen."

Zhang Zhao, an international student affairs coordinator, outlined the college's framework for supporting its international students. He said that the school boasts a highly internationalized faculty, with over 91% of members having overseas experience, which helps provide a globally-aligned education.

The visiting delegation from Shenzhen Daily outlined the vision for collaboration. Sun Jin, editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Daily, introduced the multilingual international portal EyeShenzhen and its two key programs: an international community platform designed to attract foreigners, particularly Gen Z students, and a User Generated Content (UGC) platform that invites global creators to share their stories about Shenzhen.

Han Ximin introduces the "Z10 Club." Photos courtesy of event organizer

Han Ximin, head of the Shenzhen Daily Content Center, introduced the "Z10 Club," a program launched by EyeShenzhen in collaboration with 10 Shenzhen universities. The club has already engaged nearly 70 students from 30 countries through a diverse range of cultural and technological activities.

"We found that international students from the universities are a very good source to tell the world what China is really like," said Han. "We plan to recruit students who are interested in Chinese culture, science, ecology and others to share stories in Shenzhen through their social media."

In response, international students expressed strong enthusiasm for the programs. They shared their desire to research and communicate Shenzhen's achievements in innovation and sustainability to their home countries.

"As a researcher, I can tell my country how Shenzhen has achieved these benchmarks in terms of industry and innovation," said Khudaija Warraich, a Ph.D. candidate from Pakistan. "I want to tell my country the stories of this city."

An international student expresses strong enthusiasm for the programs.

A Russian undergraduate student highlighted the importance of accessible timing for events and the power of content creation. "As a Gen Zer, we have a fear of missing out. Content creation is a huge opportunity to attract more young people to Shenzhen," said Iutta Kaleshina. "I believe what you are doing right now is perfect, and we're just looking forward to more opportunities."