Jilin university opens international culture, arts festival

Jilin International Studies University, or JISU, launched its 16th International Cultural and Art Festival on June 12 with great fanfare.

This year's ongoing festival features a dozen great outdoor themed cultural and art exhibition areas, showcasing a blend of professional studies and cultural artistry.

The month-long event highlights the diverse cultural customs and artistic features of various ethnic groups from around the world.

The main goal of the festival is to promote interdisciplinary and inter-professional exchanges, to foster a multicultural campus environment.

At the School of Oriental Languages' exhibit, students offered immersive experiences through performances, crafts and food tastings, allowing attendees to experience the rich cultures of Eastern countries.

The School of Central-Eastern European Languages is presenting the charms of countries like Russia, Poland, Hungary, Serbia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine through traditional foods, handicrafts and performances.

"This festival is the result of over a month of preparation by our students and faculty," said Wang Yiru, a junior in the Ukrainian program. "From planning to creating displays and rehearsing dances, we applied our knowledge in innovative ways, broadening our international perspectives."

The month-long festival includes the opening ceremony, outdoor exhibitions, the "Embrace the World" cultural forum, symphony orchestra concerts, cultural exchange lectures, international cultural activities and wraps up with a closing ceremony with performances and awards.

The event is said to underscore the role of foreign language students as cultural ambassadors, bridging China and the rest of the world together through the Belt and Road Initiative and promoting the exchange of global cultural heritage.