This summer
The International and Chinese Students Social Practice Team of Southeast University went to Yancheng
They visited the city of wetland
Experienced the development of China
Explored the memory of China
Let’s follow their footsteps
And experience this different social practice together
1. Visiting The City of Wetland
Yellow Sea Wetland
In July 2019, at the 43rd World Heritage Conference held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, the Yancheng Yellow Sea Wetland, the "China Yellow (Bo) Sea Migratory Bird Habitat (Phase 1)" project was successfully added to the World Heritage List.
On September 3, the students from the social practice team visited the Tiaozini Wetland in Dongtai, the core area of China’s Yellow (Bo) Sea migratory bird habitat (Phase 1). Guided by the philosophy “ecological garden” and basic principles of “comprehensive protection, scientific restoration, rational utilization, and sustainable development”, the Wetland properly manages the relationship between ecological protection and economic development.
Through the visit to the Yellow Sea Wetland, the international students experienced the beauty of Yancheng’s natural ecosystem, civilization and harmony and gained a deeper understanding of China’s new concept of ecological protection and China’s striving for the balance and unity between economic development and ecological protection.
Dongtai Huanghai National Forest Park
The team members also visited the Huanghai National Forest Park in Dongtai. Here, they not only enjoyed the refreshing “natural oxygen bar”, but also learned that generations of Chinese forest workers have continued to struggle here, persevering for more than half a century before turning the salt flats into an oasis. Visiting here made them understand how China and her people contribute to ecological and environmental protection.
Dongtai Sancang Agricultural Demonstration Park
The Sancang Agricultural Demonstration Park shows how the local people, under the guidance of the government, scientifically lay out fruits and vegetables, use modern technology to manage thelocal agricultural development, and promote continuous increase of local farmers’ income, so as to realize successful transformation from traditional agriculture to modern agriculture. "Here we have seen that the development of modern agriculture in China is so good," said Feroz Abdullah, an international student from Pakistan. "Many countries have high-quality arable land, but lack of advanced science and technology. It is necessary to learn China's agricultural high-tech."
Experiencing The Development Of China
Since the reform and opening up, tremendous changes have taken place in China, and economic and social development in Yancheng has also made remarkable achievements. Yancheng has grown from a city focusing on traditional agricultural production to an emerging city with new industry and high-efficiency agriculture.
Online Interview
International and Chinese students conducted online interviews with representatives of Yancheng who have witnessed the development of this city. On August 14, the students interviewed Yan Yu, a lecturer from the Yancheng Sea-salt Museum, and Li Xinquan, a worker from Jiangsu Yueda Textile.
Yan Yu shared the history of the development of "salt" culture throughout Yancheng for more than two thousand years, as well as the story of the courageous and enterprising people of Yancheng in the face of harsh living conditions and cruel natural disasters in the process of long-term production and labor.
Li Xinquan introduced in detail the current industrial status of Yancheng and Jiangsu Yueda to the students, and shared some typical stories under Yancheng's "Development to the Sea, Green Transformation".
High-tech Park Visit
On September 1, team members went to the Big Data Industrial Park of Yannan High-tech Zone and visited the 3D Printing International Science and Technology Park and the Yunzhou Unmanned Ship Project. Unmanned, intelligent, and automated are the future technologies trend. The Yancheng government has put a lot of energy to support the development of related companies. The next day, the students visited the Smart Terminal Industrial Park in Yancheng. In the park, students learned the development history and advantages of the smart industry in Yancheng. There, they also experienced projects such as "VR driving" and "smart home. International students were amazed by the great achievements China has made in the development of science and technology.
Beautiful Village Investigation
On September 2, the team went to Jiafu Village and Huaji Village, Yancheng. The Jiafu Village, named in memorial of the martyr Ding Jiafu, was a poor small village, and the traditional fruit cultivation was of poor quality. When the local government wanted to develop a new type of rural community, the village is divided into four functional areas: a tourist service area, a traditional village experience area, a fruit and vegetable harvesting area, and a new village living area. With the special peach fruits as the leading industry, the income of the villagers is getting higher and higher, and their lives are getting better and better.
Later, the students went to Huaji Village, which was once just an ordinary village in Yancheng. After market research and deliberation, the sunflower tourism was developed here. The village also signed an agreement with the Jiangsu Tongli Food Technology Co., Ltd., to make full use of the fruits of the sunflowers. By visiting these two representative villages, international students have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the rural development in China.
Exploring The Memory Of China
During the social practice, the international and Chinese students also visited the Yancheng New Fourth Army Memorial Museum together. After the outbreak of the Southern Anhui Incident, the new headquarters of the New Fourth Army was rebuilt in Yancheng. Although the rebuilt troops lacked food, clothing and weapons, they relied on the spirit of the iron army to carry out arduous anti-Japanese struggles on the battlefield behind enemy lines. They successively won major victories in the Battle of Batan, the Battle of Chenjiagang, and the Battle of Funing. They have made great contributions to the war of resistance against Japanese and Fascist aggression. The Yancheng New Fourth Army Memorial Museum houses a rich collection, and each of the cultural relics tells the life and loyalty of the soldiers. By visiting the New Fourth Army Memorial Museum, international students have got a more comprehensive understanding of China's history and the importance of peace.
Comments from International Students
Rosalia Shiweva
Student of the School of Architecture of SEU
This social practice left a very good impression on me and also allowed me to learn more about China. This was the first time I went to Yancheng. I saw the blue sky and white clouds when I arrived. The environment is so good and the people are so nice that I fell in love with this city all at once. Yancheng is really a beautiful place. What I like most is the Tiaozini. I think China has been very good in protecting the ecological environment over the years, and it has made a great contribution to the environmental protection of the world. I hope people of other countries in the world can also come here to visit and protect the global ecology together.
We also visited the Yancheng New Fourth Army Memorial Museum. It’s a very educative museum, which shows a clear timeline of Chinese revolution and Anti-war history. China was invaded before, however, because of the hard-work of the Communist Party of China and Chinese people, peace was attained and now China is in new era of economic growth. The Museum has given me a reminder of why peace is important. And why we shouldn’t fight anymore. The world needs peace and stability.
This activity enriched my study and life in China, broadened my horizons, and deepened my understanding of China. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity.
Feroz Abdullah
Student of the School of Humanities of SEU
This trip to Yancheng is a social practice that has touched me the most during all these years in China. As soon as I got off the high-speed rail, I smelled the sea salt in the air, it is just like my hometown Karachi. At that moment, I fell in love with this city.
We visited Yancheng's 3D printing, Yunzhou unmanned ship, etc., which gave me direct access to the world's top technology. I am really admired by the development of Chinese technology.
In the New Fourth Army Memorial Museum, under the leadership of the narrator, we experienced the birth and development of the New Fourth Army and learned about their contributions to China. Few countries in the world can fully understand their true history and pass down the positive thinking and spirit, and China is one of the best. This kind of cultural museum should be visited by everyone.
Besides, I was really impressed by the village visit. Making villages develop so fast requires a certain amount of financial support and reasonable policy support, and China has done it. This is enough to show that China's development direction in recent decades is correct and effective. We can learn these things and use this knowledge to transform our own country.
图片 | 李轶等
翻译 | 章梦捷
责任编辑 | 郭青
审核 | 徐健
