26th August 2021 Suzhou Daily A03

Silk Road School of Renmin University of China, established in 2018, has nearly 100 graduates now who have traveled all over the world and are active in politics, economy, culture, education and other fields of various countries. Like many foreigners who live in Suzhou, these international students bear the indelible stamp of Suzhou identities——

Three Years of Silk Road School, Hundreds of Envoys Around the World

As the hometown of Chinese silk, Suzhou's history can be traced back to Caoxie Mountain 6,000 years ago and Meiyan 4,000 years ago. The unearthed cultural relics proved that the ancestors here had mastered the technology of sericulture and silk production very early. According to the records of Liu Xiang's Suo Yuan in the Han Dynasty, there are luxurious and splendid costumes in the welcoming team of Wu people. The War for Mulberry recorded in Records of the Historical -the Family of Wu Taibo was due to the dispute between the women of Wu and Chu about picking mulberry leaves, which triggered a military encounter between the countries. It can be seen that silkworm was already a major event related to the country's economic lifeline at that time.

In contemporary times, the influence of Suzhou Silk still attracts worldwide attention.

At the APEC Meeting in Beijing,2014， the fabric used in the Tang suits worn by leaders of various countries was Song Brocade in Suzhou Silk;

At the G20 Hangzhou summit in Suzhou，2016， silk was presented as a national gift to the wives of the heads of state of the G20 countries participating in the meeting;

In 2017, Suzhou Silk became the designated silk gift of Kazakhstan World Expo;

In 2018, Suzhou silk was selected as a national gift and presented to Panamanian President Barrera to commemorate the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan...

Suzhou silk has been carried on horses and camels, loaded on various ships, crossing the desert and oceans in history. Suzhou silk has become an important cultural envoy of China to the world.

Recently, a higher education institution named Silk Road School settled in Suzhou. Outstanding young people from countries and regions along the Belt and Road gathered here, and they will grow into international elites to connect the world. This higher education institution is Silk Road School of Renmin University of China.

"These students are both China experts and World experts. They come from different parts of the world and understand China in Suzhou. They reach out to the world, and they will definitely make positive contributions to the spread Chinese culture at home and abroad, as well as international cultural exchanges and mutual learning." Du Peng, Dean of the Silk Road School, Vice President of RUC, has high expectations for the students.

Recently, the reporter contacted representatives of the first two graduates of the Silk Road School to interview their growth stories. Interestingly, no matter what nationalities they are, everyone has a Chinese name. These new era Silk Road Envoys from Suzhou are telling wonderful Chinese stories in different parts of the world.

"I have traveled to more than 30 Chinese cities and learned the experience of Suzhou Park. I will help the construction of the Pakistan Development Zone"

The Pakistani boy Shahzad Ahmed got the Chinese name Meng Long from the teacher of the Silk Road School. "The teacher said that my temperament is very similar to the dragon, and the dragon is a beast with good meaning in Chinese culture. I like this name very much." Meng Long recalled in Chinese.

The Pakistani government and China cooperate very closely. The government has been vigorously encouraging students and civil servants to study in China. In 2018, Meng Long received the support of the prime minister office of Board of Investment of Pakistan and came to the Silk Road School to study.

In Meng Long's words, during the two years in Suzhou, he studied hard like a sponge soaked in water. He listened to professors' explanations in class, actively participated in lectures offered by the Ministry of Commerce and local government officials invited by the school. What’s more, he traveled to more than 30 Chinese cities, earnestly understood the way Chinese people live and work, observed the development of China's infrastructure construction and thought about the experience of China's rapid economic development.

Meng Long believes that he has learned two important things in China. Firstly, the mode of operation of the Chinese government.

"Chinese governments at all levels, from the township to the provincial level, operate very efficiently, which I admire very much!" he said. Secondly, the development experience of Suzhou Industrial Park. Since 2012, as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, Pakistan has vigorously promoted the construction of economic development zones in China. Meng Long believes that the successful experience of Suzhou Park is very valuable for reference.

After graduation, Meng Long returns to the Board of Investment of Pakistan to continue his work, participate in the construction of economic development zones, and is responsible for attracting investment. He uses what he learned to promote economic exchanges between Pakistan and China, help Chinese companies enter Pakistan, participate in Pakistan's infrastructure construction and economic development, and assist companies of the two countries to cooperate for mutual benefit and achieve win-win progress.

"We officially released the Special Economic Zone Management System in June this year. Through this digital system, the economic development zones across Pakistan can be closely linked. All the enterprises in the zone and those who want to settle in the economic development zone, whether Chinese companies, domestic companies, or companies from other countries can register on this platform to achieve convenient and fast information sharing." Meng Long said that he felt a sense of accomplishment to contribute to the economic cooperation between China and Pakistan.

"Learning from all over the world, I will explore more and more successful models of cooperation between China and Latin America"

Argentine scholar María Jose Haro Sly is Meng Long's classmate at the Silk Road School. Her Chinese name is Wu Qi. When the reporter contacted Wu Qi on the other side of the earth, she was preparing for the "dual country life" between Argentina and the United States. After graduating from the Silk Road School last year, Wu Qi worked in the Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council. This autumn, she will study for her PhD in sociology and political science at Johns Hopkins University in the United States.

Chatting with Wu Qi, I learned that her experience can be described as "learning all over the world". Since high school, with excellent grades, Wu Qi has studied in Germany, Brazil, Portugal, the United States and other countries, majoring in sociology, politics, international relations and other majors. In 2017, she published a paper entitled The Argentina part of the soybean commodity chain in the journal Nature which explores a new relationship of win-win cooperation with China from the perspective of Latin American soybean exports to China. Since then, she has developed a keen interest in China.

"In Argentina, China is a hot topic, but few people fully understand her."

Wu Qi said that her professor recommended the Silk Road School to her when she studied in Brazil, and the government leaders in her hometown of Turkmenistan also supported her to study in China. “Silk Road School provides a cross-cultural learning environment. Students come from all over the world. This atmosphere has greatly broadened my horizons and learned about the current economic condition and cultural customs of many countries. We discuss the possible development direction and future cooperation between China and our motherland almost every day." Wu Qi said that she concentrated on studying politics, law, investment and other related knowledge at the Silk Road School.

In recent years, Wu Qi has published several articles in the global times expounding recent developments in Latin America and exploring the relationship between China and Latin America.” Although the inherent inequality in the global system hinders the better distribution of technological innovation capabilities among different countries, China is still a rare success story. " Wu Qi thinks so, “At work, I am committed to helping our government establish more and more successful cooperation with China. Last month, we established the Argentina-China Innovation and Technology Policy Research Center. Through this center, we can share the innovation experience of the two countries and work together. Explore ways to promote economic and social development through innovation and cooperation." Wu Qi also said that she is now actively contacting the Suzhou government, hoping to promote a series of trade, investment, cultural and academic exchanges and cooperation.

"My great grandfather was a member of the Communist Party of China who died in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. I am determined to convey the voice of China to the world."

Lin Yinru, a Singaporean Chinese, came to study at the Silk Road School, which is also a "roots-seeking journey". In the first Chinese speech contest of Silk Road School in 2019, Lin Yinru told the story of his great grandfather Liang Tianwo with the title of "father". In the tone of her grandmother, she described a daughter's thoughts for her father who died in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and expressed her eager to find her father's remains in her lifetime. “My great grandfather is an overseas Chinese and an honorable member of the Communist Party of China. He loves the motherland deeply and always keeps his mission in mind. He is not afraid of sacrifice and dares to contribute. When the motherland needed her people most, he left his wife and child and returned to China to participate in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and finally died for it. " Lin Yinru said with emotion in fluent Chinese.

Lin Yinru said that through her study at the Silk Road School, she learned that the Centenary of the Communist Party of China is a century that has completely ended the sufferings of the modern Chinese nation and a century that the Chinese people have stood up, become rich and become strong“ The more I know about China's national conditions and the history of the Communist Party of China, the more I can understand my great grandfather’s devotion to country that gave up his family for the country and spared no efforts to make contributions to the motherland to the end of his days. The more I can realize why the Communist Party of China can lead the Chinese people to completely overthrow the "three big mountains" and fundamentally solve the crisis of survival or extinction in modern China." She said. It is a great honor for her to witness the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of The Communist Party of China as an outstanding 2021 graduate of the Silk Road School of Renmin University of China.

During her study in Suzhou, Lin Yinru worked as a teaching assistant for two semesters, responsible for writing English press releases for Silk Road School, translating some documents for the school, serving as a guest reception translator and so on. She has been to many cultural sceneries in Suzhou, enjoying the beauty of the Jiangnan water village. What is also precious to her is that she has made many close friends from countries and regions along the “The Belt and Road Initiative”. “Students from multicultural backgrounds gathered at Silk Road School to learn China's development experience, feel the splendid civilization of China for five thousand years, and comprehend the destiny connection of ‘The Belt and Road Initiative'.” She said.

When she graduated with a master's degree this year, Lin Yinru received the admission to the Ph.D. Fellowship of China Studies Program at the History Department of Peking University, and will continue to carry out research on the direction of overseas Chinese. “Students of Silk Road School are the bond of friendship between China and the world, and we have the responsibility to convey the ‘Voice of China' to the world." She is full of confidence in the future.

A brief History of Silk Road School

“To gain talents from all over the world and to cultivate the elites of the Silk Road.” Adhering to this vision, the Silk Road School was established in Suzhou in April 2018, jointly built by the Chongyang Institute of Financial Studies, the School of International Studies and Suzhou Campus of Renmin University of China, aiming to effectively integrate high-quality resources inside and outside the school through institutional innovation, with first-class faculty, complete training system and modern education methods for China and the countries and regions along the “The Belt and Road Initiation” to cultivate international compound high-end talents and future elite leaders who have a passion for Chinese culture, understand profoundly the path, model and experience of China’s development .

“The Master of Contemporary Chinese Studies Program at Renmin University's Silk Road School is a key measure by Renmin University of China(RUC) to actively support the Belt and Road Initiative in an education. The program leverages RUC’s educational platform, international experience, and high-level think-tank resources, combining competitive professional courses, expert seminars, high-level forums, visit to well-known enterprises as well as various cultural visits to offer students a well-rounded academic experience in China.” Jiang Xiaoli, deputy dean of Silk Road School, introduced it. There are four specializations are available on the program, including Chinese politics, Chinese Economy, Chinese Culture and Chinese Law. The duration of studies is two years full-time and is taught in English. Graduates are awarded a master's degree from Renmin University of China.

From the enrollment brochure of Silk Road School, we can find that its curriculum design is very suitable for the local condition of China. Core courses such as China's national conditions and development, development studies and developing countries, “The Belt and Road Initiative” projects, China's economic studies, China and global governance, and so on. From interviews with previous graduates, we can learn that while attaching importance to classroom teaching, the Silk Road School also advocates “reads as many as ten thousand books and travels as far as ten thousand miles.” and to create an immersive learning environment for students with the help of Suzhou's developed industrial environment and strong cultural atmosphere. They visit relevant units in economy, culture, high-tech, Internet, new media, agriculture and many other fields to deepen their understanding of Chinese politics, culture, economy and society through Suzhou; they organize and participate in cultural experiences such as tea art, flower arrangement, zither and calligraphy. They also compete in Chinese speeches, and interact frequently with Chinese college students studying in Suzhou to experience the charm of China in the hinterland of Jiangnan culture.

In September 2018, the first batch of students of Silk Road School came to Suzhou to register. So far, the Silk Road School has enrolled 205 students from 60 countries and regions. The 96 students from the first and second sessions have successfully graduated and gone to China and other parts of the world, becoming elites in the fields of politics, economy, culture, education, and etc. of all countries.

Topic planner: Li Xiao, Gao Yan.

Manuscript execution: Yuan Yi, Cai Qing, Mei Jie.

Responsible editor: Gao Qin.