The spring comes with blossoms and a silent breeze to bring blessings and happiness. At 4 p.m. on February 22, 2021, hosted by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of P.R. China and undertaken by SWUFE, the "Chinese Bridge" program, themed with "Visit Chengdu Virtually, Show You around SWUFE through the History" was grandly opened, beginning with an enthusiastic warm-up video. The representative of the College of International Education (CIE, SWUFE) and foreign representatives attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Members of the "Chinese Bridge" preparation team and 101 students from Greece, the U.K., Israel, North Macedonia, Malaysia, and other countries gathered online and celebrated the opening ceremony.
In a greeting video for the opening ceremony, Prof. Ting LIANG, Director of Office of International Exchange and Cooperation Office (OIEC, SWUFE) & Dean of College of International Education (CIE, SWUFE), expressed her gratitude to the partners for supporting the program, and a warm welcome to the guests who participated in the opening ceremony and students who signed up this online program. She wished the students to achieve good results and sincerely invited everyone to visit SWUFE to study in the future. Prof. Xin WANG, Vice Dean of College of International Education (CIE, SWUFE), described the "Chinese Bridge" online program's background and introduced SWUFE and CIE. He wishedto build a bridge of friendship and thoughts for cultural exchanges with students in the online classofthe "Chinese Bridge" program.
Prof. Grigoris ZAROTIADIS from AUTh in Greece and Prof. Mooli LAHAD from Tel-hai College in Israel expressed their gratitude to the host for organizing this online program. They wished that the event would be like the name of the program "Chinese Bridge" - a bridge for longer-lasting, fruitful academic and socioeconomic relations. Meanwhile, in his speech, Prof. Mooli LAHAD mentioned that China and Israel are two countries with innovative and entrepreneurial spirits. He also said that it is of great significance to cherish our friendship and cooperation to break the boundaries and promote the exchange of knowledge, cultures, and thoughts in difficult times as we are having now.
At the opening ceremony, Ms. Linyi JIANG introduced the courses, study guides, and essential information about this program to students. Based on students' Chinese level, the "Chinese Bridge" online program provides 3-week courses, divided into elementary and intermediate classes. The curriculum is themed with "Visit Chengdu Virtually, Show You around SWUFE through the History", combining "Chinese +" language learning, Chengdu cultural experience, and multi-dimensional interactive communication. It utilizes the innovative form of "virtual class". In the program, by using "Chinese Plus" and "Chinese Bridge" official website, WeChat Work app, and other platforms, SWUFE combines real-time teaching, recording classes, online tutoring, interactive Q&A, etc. In total, SWUFE provides 25 courses, such as General Chinese, Business Chinese, Visit and Interview a Local Company, Money and Finance Museum of SWUFE, Sichuan Cuisine Museum & Kung Pao Chicken, Mt.Qingcheng - A Holy Taoism Mountain, Taoist School and Taoism, Chengdu-The Ancient Shu City, Breath of Life and Sense of Modern Chengdu, Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, and One World, One Song.
The teacher representative, Ms. Qianlin HU, interacted with the students online as well. The students also watched the SWUFE promotional video and greeting videos sent by SWUFE international students from various countries. At the Q&A session, the students actively asked questions in the message board and group chatting room, expressing their gratitude and enthusiasm for the upcoming online learning journey.
Civilization is colorful because of communication and is diverse because of mutual learning. As a brand program of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of P.R.China, a series of "Chinese Bridge" programs have attracted more than 1.5 millionstudentsfrom more than 160 countries and regions. The programs have played an essential role in promoting people-to-people bonds and mutual learning among nations. It is the first time for SWUFE to host the "Chinese Bridge" Program, strongly supported by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of P.R.China. This program combines the financial characteristics of SWUFE and the Chinese language as a medium to customize a series of high-quality courses to students, aiming to promote the international communication of cultures.
