On 19 September, the closing ceremony of the Overseas Immersion Programme by Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore, was successfully held at the College of International Cultural Exchange, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE). Attending the ceremony were Rong Jun, Deputy Dean of the College of International Cultural Exchange, SUFE; the faculty members and students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic; and the project leaders Wan Yun and Zhu Jiajie.
At the ceremony, Deputy Dean Rong Jun delivered a speech. He congratulated all the students on the successful completion of the study programme and expressed heartfelt thanks to the teachers, staff, and student volunteers from both sides who had accompanied the participants throughout. He noted that the students had come with curiosity and returned with new knowledge, fresh perspectives, and precious friendships. This study trip was not the end of exchanges between the two sides, but rather a new starting point for mutual learning and interaction between youth of China and Singapore. In closing, he quoted a line from a Tang poem, 'Though separated by a mountain, we share the same clouds and rain; under the same moon, how can we be deemed as living in two different places?', expressing his wish for the enduring friendship between the two places and welcoming the students to return to SUFE in the future to continue their story of friendly exchange.
Subsequently, Lim Yuxuan and Ang Kai Jun, student representatives from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, shared their reflections on the study trip. The students presented a self-produced short video that documented their experiences in classroom learning, enterprise visits, and cultural activities, visually presenting what they had seen and learned. They mentioned that the study trip went beyond textbook knowledge, allowing them to closely observe China’s industrial innovation capabilities and urban development vitality, personally experience the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture, and also forge cross-border friendships with fellow students. This experience would become an invaluable asset in their academic journey.
Wang Yingying, teacher representative from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, expressed gratitude to SUFE for the meticulous planning and well-organised execution of the overseas immersion programme. She spoke highly of the integrated programme model that combined curriculum teaching, field visits, and cultural experiences. She stated that the immersive study trip provided Singaporean youth with a window to observe contemporary China, effectively broadening their international horizons, and looked forward to the continued deepening of cooperation between the two universities to create more platforms for mutual learning and exchange among young people of the two countries.
The one-week overseas immersion study programme featured diverse and rich content. Participants attended specialised courses on China’s economic and trade development and business innovation, visited the China Securities Museum to gain a systematic understanding of China’s economic development trajectory and the construction of its capital markets; explored the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre and Yu Garden to experience the city’s transformation and the cultural heritage of the Jiangnan region; visited leading enterprises in science, technology, and manufacturing such as SAIC-Volkswagen, Lenovo, and Zhangjiang AI Town to witness China’s digital transformation and industrial innovation practices; engaged in distinctive cultural activities such as Chinese herbal medicine collage art and Tai Chi experiences to appreciate the unique charm of China’s excellent traditional culture; and interacted with current SUFE students to discuss aspirations, campus life, and daily experiences, further bridging the hearts and minds of youth from China and Singapore.
This overseas immersion programme has concluded successfully, strengthening the platform for practical exchanges between students from China and Singapore, and injecting youthful energy into deepening bilateral educational cooperation.
In the future, the College of International Cultural Exchange at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics will continue to leverage the university’s disciplinary strengths and platform advantages to expand international student exchange programmes at multiple levels and across a broad range of fields. We will invite more young people from overseas to come to our campus and experience Shanghai, to share stories about China, and to promote mutual understanding and exchanges between civilisations.
