Four years of transnational love with my beloved university

Name: Mohammad Saiyedul Islam

Nationality: Bangladesh

University: Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics

Location: Jiangxi

China Central Television (CCTV) has published a special report about me for playing an important role in debunking rumors and panic during the Coronavirus in China. A group of journalists came to my school to film a special report on me, to gain an in-depth understanding of how I recorded the stories and published articles to clarify the facts and tell the story of China's anti-epidemic to the world. I tried to present truthful and constructive information about China to the outside world during the coronavirus-induced lockdown through nonpartisan journalism as well as active participation in various social and voluntary activities.

I went to Qiaoting Village, Hongqiao Township, Yanshan County, Shangrao City in China's Jiangxi province to acquire poverty reduction experiences and participated in a special event of the 7th National Poverty Alleviation Day which was organized by Overseas Education School of Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics. This trip was in Qiaoting Village not only enriched my knowledge of poverty reduction but also enriched my experience in China. The sentence that touched me the most was “instead of giving a person a fish, teach him/her how to fish". I wrote an article titled "China: A role model for global poverty alleviation" which was published by China's prestigious media platform People's Daily.

I have been invited to attend Zhi & Xing Guizhou Silk Road Youth Exchange Program – 2021 in order to strengthen Chinese cultural exchanges and mutual friendship among foreign youth. During the event, I listened to lectures on the historical and cultural knowledge of Miao and Dong, learned batik and ancient paper-making techniques, visited Museum, and experienced Dong folk songs and Miao dances. China is a united multi-ethnic nation of 56 ethnic groups. As the majority (91.6 percent) of the population is of the Han ethnic group, China's other 55 ethnic groups are customarily referred to as ethnic minorities. Of these, 18 minority communities live in Guizhou Province. Miao and Dong are among them.

China is the hometown of tea and the birthplace of world tea culture. Shennong is the first person to discover and use tea in China even in the world. Following that, it flourished in the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty and was popularized in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Wuyuan tea has a history of more than 1,200 years of tea cultivation and making. Hand-made tea is the most traditional handicraft in Wuyuan county China's Jiangxi province. I went to Wuyuan county to learn about the origin and development of Chinese tea culture, the production process of tea, and the edification of tea culture. I picked the most tender green tea leaves from the garden and made Wuyuan green tea by myself.

Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is a traditional and important celebration in China for over 2,000 years. The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth Chinese lunar month. The most traditional customs include dragon boat racing, eating sticky rice dumplings (Zongzi), hanging Chinese mugwort and calamus, drinking realgar wine, wearing perfume pouches, and practicing various customs thought to dispel disease and invoke good health. International students of the Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics celebrate the dragon boat festival each year including teachers by making sticky rice dumplings which are called Zongzi and other activities. This activity allows the international students to learn more about Chinese traditional festival culture and help them broaden their horizons, experience the broad and profound Chinese festival culture, and help to carry forward the unique spirit contained in the national festival culture.

Besides studying in China, I am involved in journalism. I am the China Correspondent of the first internet newspaper in Bangladesh bdnews24.com, a leading satellite television channel DBC News, and English Daily the Business Standard. There are many misunderstandings, misconceptions, and misinterpretations about China to the international community, even among my country's people. So, I want to share the true stories about China. I have been published nearly 400 articles on China's development and rural revitalization, Chinese culture and history, the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic, cultural communication and exchanges, the winter Olympics, the China-Bangladesh relationship, the belt and road initiative, the Bangladeshi community who are living in China to various domestic and overseas news media outlets.

I have been appointed as the International Investment Attracting Ambassador of the local government in Tongcheng county, Hubei province of China for one year. Xiong Yaping, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Xianning Municipal People's Congress and Secretary of the County Party Committee handed over the crest and certificate to me.

I have been awarded the title of "Excellent International Student" for outstanding academic performances and extracurricular achievements in the academic year of 2020-2021 with an average score of 88.71 and ranked the first position in the Department. I have also been awarded "Excellent Volunteer against Covid-19" at Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics.

Volunteer Work is my passion. I am the founder and president of the Lei Feng International Volunteer Association. Lei Feng International Volunteer Association officially started its journey on 05 March 2021 by celebrating Lei Feng Day with a group of enterprising and enthusiastic young people studying at the Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics from different countries with the slogan of "For a Smile." Our volunteer association works for children with special needs, orphans, old aged people, environmental protection awareness, career development of students, and so on in collaboration with the Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics. Now we have 12 countries representative over the world.

I have been invited by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to participate in the first Lancang-Mekong Local Government Cooperation Forum. The forum focused on two major topics "strengthening anti-pandemic cooperation to protect people's health" and "deepening mutually beneficial cooperation for a better future". Leaders of the local governments, ambassadors and consul generals of various countries in China, representatives of friendly organizations, and media representatives also participated in the forum.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.