On 10 November, a Chinese-education delegation from Penang, Malaysia, visited Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE) for a programme of exchange activities. The delegation was made up of school board members, principals and academic administrators from the Penang-Province Wellesley Chinese School Boards Association and from Chinese independent secondary schools including Han Chiang High School, Phor Tay Private High School, Jit Sin Independent High School, Chung Ling Private High School and Penang Chinese Girls' Private High School. The event was hosted by the College of International Cultural Exchange.
The delegation visited the SUFE History Museum and the Museum of Commerce. Following the University's course of development over more than a century, they learned how SUFE, an important birthplace of modern higher commercial education in China, took shape, and they experienced at close hand the spirit of the University motto, "Hou De Bo Xue, Jing Ji Kuang Shi" (to cultivate virtue and broad learning, and to serve the times through economics), gaining a direct sense of the University's deep educational foundations.
At the symposium, Dong Jing, Dean of the College of International Cultural Exchange, delivered a welcome address in which she introduced SUFE's discipline development, talent cultivation and international education. Malaysia, she noted, is an important source country of overseas students for the University, and many Malaysian students study diligently at SUFE and go on to become people-to-people envoys of China-Malaysia economic, trade and cultural exchange. She expressed the hope that this visit would serve as an opportunity to further open up channels for Malaysian students to pursue higher education in China, to explore more room for cooperation in joint talent cultivation and cultural exchange, and to help young people of the two countries deepen mutual understanding and friendship.
Li Tianlin, Chairman of the Penang-Province Wellesley Chinese School Boards Association, addressed the gathering on behalf of the delegation. He thanked SUFE and described the current state of Chinese independent secondary education in Penang, expressing the hope of strengthening ties with the University, building a high-quality platform for students of local Chinese secondary schools to pursue further study in China, and encouraging more young Malaysians to visit and understand China.
Rong Jun, Vice Dean of the College of International Cultural Exchange, gave a dedicated briefing on admission policies for international students, explaining in detail the application requirements, choice of programmes, scholarship system and campus-life support, and presenting the delegation with a comprehensive picture of the University's system for educating international students.
Four Malaysian students currently studying at SUFE shared their experiences in turn. Drawing on their own time at the University, they described classroom learning, campus activities and life in the city, offering the delegation vivid and authentic points of reference for studying in China.
The two sides held a full exchange on issues including the transmission of Chinese-language education, pathways for Malaysian students to study in China and long-term mechanisms for cooperation, in a warm and pragmatic atmosphere.
The event built a direct link between the University and Malaysia's Chinese-education community and further extended the influence of the "Study at SUFE" brand among Chinese secondary schools in Southeast Asia. Going forward, the College will continue to work steadily, using education as a bridge to deepen China-Malaysia people-to-people and educational exchange and to nurture more young strength for friendly relations between the two countries.
