On 18 April 2026, the Guqin music Ensemble, led by Ms. Jin Mengmeng from School of International Education, was invited to participate in the 2026 International Chinese Language Day event for Tianjin’s Higher Education Institutions. Representatives of staff and students from numerous higher education institutions across the city gathered to experience the unique charm of China’s outstanding traditional culture and to promote cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and other nations. Under the theme ‘Inheriting Tianjin’s Cultural Heritage, Illuminating Dreams’, the event showcased the fruitful achievements of international Chinese language education through a rich and varied programme of performances.
The performance of <Ming Yue Ji Shi You>, passionately presented by our music team, became the centre of attention for the entire audience. The performance blended the sounds of traditional instruments such as the guzheng, guqin and pipa with heartfelt recitation and singing, whilst innovatively incorporating a live diabolo performance by international students, winning enthusiastic applause and waves of cheers from the audience.
The performance commenced with a recitation by an international student. Abdulaziz, an international student from Tajikistan, dressed in traditional Chinese attire, delivered a heartfelt recitation of Su Shi’s timeless masterpiece < Ming Yue Ji Shi You > to the haunting, melodious strains of the guqin. Immediately afterwards, Chinese student Zhou Zijie and Aya, an international student from Morocco, joined hands to sing the piece. Their voices were melodious and enchanting, accompanied by Jin Mengmeng, Ma Lisha and Li Xiangrui playing traditional Chinese instruments. This fusion of Eastern and Western styles breathed new life into the ancient poetry. Meanwhile, two international students from Tajikistan, Shahzod and Pravina, delivered a spectacular diabolo performance. Holding their diabolos, they twirled and flipped them in time with the rising and falling melodies of the music, at times tossing them high into the air and at others spinning them in a fluid and powerful display that perfectly complemented the rhythm of the music.
The applause from the audience was sustained and enthusiastic, with many staff and students remarking that the performance not only showcased the breadth and depth of traditional Chinese culture, but also exemplified the collaboration between Chinese and international students.
The successful staging of this International Chinese Language Day event and the outstanding performances by our university’s staff and students have further ignited international students’ enthusiasm for learning Chinese and understanding Chinese culture, whilst also demonstrating the excellent results our university has achieved in the field of international Chinese language education. In the future, SIE will continue to strengthen its educational philosophy of ‘integration between China and the rest of the world, sharing the beauty of diverse cultures’, enabling an increasing number of international students to become participants and promoters of friendly exchanges between China and other nations, jointly injecting new momentum into cultural integration and composing a new chapter in cultural exchange.
