In the cool autumn breeze and the fragrance of Osmanthus flowers , the opening ceremony of the 2018 freshmen of the Overseas Education College/International College was hosted in the lecture hall of De‘wang Library in Xiang’an campus on the afternoon of November 25th.Dean TAO Tao, Party Secretary WANG Yi, Associate dean FU Wanli, Associate dean HUANG Guanhua, college teacher representatives, all administrative staff and 2018 Chinese and foreign freshmen attended the opening ceremony. The ceremony was presided over by WU Weiping, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Academy.

In the sound of the majestic national anthem, the opening ceremony was solemnly opened.

 Dean TAO Tao delivered a speech firstly. On behalf of the faculty and staff of the college, he extended warm welcome to over 1000 Chinese and foreign freshmen from over 60 countries and regions. He pointed out that Overseas education College/International College is the most prominent and unique college of Xiamen University's international education, which is an important force to achieve the double first-class University Plan construction goals. President TAO gave the students a detailed introduction about the history and traits of the Overseas Education College and International College, and the achievements in international promotion of Chinese language and Sino-foreign cooperative education. “Time is money.” Dean TAO emphasized to the freshmen that they should take the time and study hard. By telling the stories of Xiamen University alumnus LU Xun and CHEN Jing run, he called on the students to cherish the time and study hard for being the best.

Teacher representative PAN chaoqing encouraged the students to cultivate and improve their professional temperament and find the direction of development in her speech time. She shared the experiences of several international students with the students, telling them not to be afraid to try any possibility after they have obtained the professional knowledge to shape themselves, and try their best to explore and exert their potential. WANG Roujie, a teacher from International College, made a humorous speech. She proposed three Suggestions to the freshmen. First, she hoped that the students could make a good study plan and break down their life goals into small goals in daily life. Second, do not give up every little idea, adhere to innovation; third, try to enhance their social responsibility, pay attention to social issues and jointly create a better future.

DING Shiyang, postgraduate of Overseas Education College from the Philippines and WANG Shuo, freshman in the 2018 Dublin program, spoke as the representatives of freshmen. DING shared his reasons and experience in learning Chinese, his learning experience in Xiamen university, his classroom experience in the Overseas education college and his participation in cultural practices, and expressed his belief and determination to become a Chinese teacher, in order to promote Chinese language culture and Chinese culture, and to become a messenger of cultural exchanges between China and the Philippines. WANG Shuo spoke about her experience in this a few months of Xiamen University, saying that she will continue to expand her professional skills during the university, exercise critical thinking and never forgets her dream, and try to achieve it by her diligence.

At the end of the ceremony, the college held a commendation ceremony to honor the “Outstanding Overseas Student Volunteers” of the Overseas Education Institute in 2018, and awarded the 2018 International College IELTS High Score Award, also, to recognize groups and individuals with outstanding performance in innovative competitions and cultural and sports activities, which included the project team Qichen Inheritance Education Public Welfare Fund consist of undergraduate student LAN Zijun and other four students, the International College Men's Basketball Team, 2015 undergraduate student SU Bo, who won the fourth national Internet + College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition Gold Award, BAI Tingli, who won the third prize in the second national competition of the Chinese Heroes Chinese Teaching Contest, and the excellent guidance Teacher XIAO Ningyao, JIANG Huiyin, the Best Popularity Award winner in the 3rd China University Student Sommelier Contest, and the instructor SHI Fengxia.

The college's move is to hope that all students can take the advanced benchmarks as excellent examples, and to emulate those better than oneself. In the future study and life, we will benchmark the advanced, keep the advanced, and catch up with the advanced. In the end, in the familiar school song melody, the opening ceremony ended successfully.

Blending Chinese and foreign, based on the times and facing the future

At 7 o'clock that night, the college held a party in the multi-function hall of Kunluan Building. Dean TAO Tao, Associate dean FU Wanli, Associate dean HUANG Guanhua, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee WU Weiping, Professor John Munro of Hull University, and Mr. YUAN Yuwen, Representative of Hull University China, were invited to the party.

At the beginning, the art troupe instrumental team played a powerful and melodious tune “Ruling the world to heat up the evening. Then, the majestic poetry recitation “Stop at the best” given by Qi Feng drama club made the scene students remember the school motto. The Indonesian students brought the traditional Indonesian musical instrument angeron to perform. Bamboo slips of different sizes were combined together to play a wonderful music with clear sound, which amazed the audience. The song “yearning is a kind of disease” that sung by XIAO Xinru, ZHENG Yuan, YE Tianfeng was moving and melodic. The sports dance association and the Russian student July, Cameroon students DAI Si brought the passionate Latin dance performance which is full of passion and vitality, making the audience screamed and cheered constantly.

Teacher XIA Changcang, from the Overseas Education College, and the students from France, Bulgaria, Philippines, Russia, showed the unique charm of Tai Chi and Chang Quan to us. The cheongsam show made the audience feel the beauty of traditional Chinese clothing. The eight-language chorus The Brightest Star in the Night Sky which was brought by students from 13 countries pushed the atmosphere of the party to a climax, as the song touched the students’ heart that the love of Chinese culture is like the brightest star in the night sky, which will lead us to the bright future.

During the game session, the host extracted the audience to go on the stage to carry out the sound version of you draw and me guess and the tongue twister test, which are full of fun. Especially in tongue twisters, foreign students read Chinese tongue twisters and Chinese students read English tongue twisters, which is interesting and educational.

The second half of the party was also full of highlights. The impassioned piano show, the elegant Thai water lantern dance, the deep song series and dynamic street dance performance were all talented. In the last part of the lucky draw, Dean TAO drew out the lucky prize of this party. And at last, the evening party came to a close in the chorus of loving family.

Although the opening ceremony and the welcome party have ended, the 2018 freshmen’s wonderful university journey has just begun. Students in the Overseas Education College and the International College will continue to carry forward the past, adhering to the spirit of self-improvement, stop at the best school motto, rooted in China, blending Chinese and foreign, based on the times, facing the future, down-to-earth, taking practical actions for the construction and development of the college and struggling to bloom youthful light.

 (Overseas Education College / International College Huang Jiali Zou Wenjing)