A booth from Light & Wings Magazine, highlighting the colourful intersection of academia and Chinese cultural essence, offered visitors games and prizes for the magazine’s official release.

Tusankine Salasini, a master’s student in MSc Sustainable Construction from Zambia, represented the African and Caribbean booth.

“At our booth, participants could try on traditional clothes and have their hair braided, as is common in many African cultures. They could also have a taste of traditional snacks like biltong,” she said.

“We would like to show people that we have vibrant and diverse cultures,” Salasini continued. “I hope participants left with a better understanding of Africa and let go of some misconceptions.”

Paola Ahtziri Estrada González, a representative of the Mexican booth and an exchange student from the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, introduced a traditional game.

“Lotería is a popular game in Mexico, similar to bingo, which I used to play with my family,” she explained.

“Family bonds are highly valued in Mexican culture, and we wanted to bring that sense of togetherness to this international event, letting people from different backgrounds connect through the game.”

The event also served as a platform to promote global sustainable development.

Sustainable Future Talents (SFT) and Oikos Suzhou, both student organisations from XJTLU dedicated to sustainability, set up a secondhand market to promote eco-friendly habits.

“Participants earned stamps by playing sustainability-related games at our booth. The stamps could then be exchanged for secondhand clothes donated by students and staff,” said Yuezhao Tang, a member of Oikos Suzhou and a Year One BEng Architecture student.

“We hope to inspire people to make better use of clothing and reduce waste from fast fashion, thereby contributing to global sustainability efforts,” Tang explained.

Bruno Miguel Vanbesien, an international business management exchange student from Artevelde University of Applied Sciences, Belgium, enjoyed participating in the event with his friends.

“It’s really fun to try different things from different countries. So far, I have participated in activities at the Korea booth, the Mongolia booth and the Mexico booth,” he said.

“I think it’s very important for everyone to learn about other cultures so that we can understand each other better and live in harmony in an increasingly international world,” he continued.

Praise-God Ogu, a Year Two BA International Relations student from Nigeria, shared her enthusiasm for the event.

“My favourite part was the interaction among people from different cultural backgrounds,” she said. “It’s a great experience to visit different booths and meet new people.”

The day concluded with a parade and a final musical performance, strengthening ties between students, staff, and the local community while promoting cross-cultural understanding and sustainable practices.

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Xi’an Jiaotong – Liverpool University (XJTLU) is an emerging international educational institution established through a collaborative effort between China’s Xi’an Jiaotong University and the University of Liverpool in the UK. As a unique Sino-Foreign cooperative university, it embodies the best qualities of its esteemed parent institutions and holds the distinction of being the sole university of its kind sanctioned by China’s Ministry of Education.

XJTLU provides undergraduate degree programs in the domains of science, engineering, and management, conferring degrees both from its own Chinese accreditation and the University of Liverpool.

Learn more and apply for XJTLU’s programs through the China Admissions platform.