On May 13, the 13th International Cultural Festival of Tianjin University kicked off on its Weijin Road campus. Themed as Diversified TJU, Harmony and Development, the festival convened hundreds of international students from more than 30 countries to rejoice on campus and put on wonderful exotic shows for more than 2,000 audiences.

Malaysian 24 season drums, dances that exude the charms of various countries like North Korea, Russia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, songs by students from Iran and Bangladesh, and fashion shows... International students’ magnificent performance won bursts of applause from the audience.

Around the stage dotted 36 booths where international students decorated with posters introducing their countries, exhibited characteristic handicrafts and special local products and offered featured cuisines.

A lady surnamed Li told the reporter that it was the first time she attended such an activity. “It’s marvellous. It provides a rare chance for us to experience different cultures so close.” She was taking her 8-year-old daughter with her dressed in traditional Chinese clothing, Hanfu. “I want her to have a better idea of cultural identity after learning so much about people from different countries and cultures.”

Guo Jianing, a postgraduate from Tianjin University’s School of Electrical and Information Engineering was busy collecting stickers from different booths, “I’ve got stickers from Morocco, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia...” He put the stickers on a blue pamphlet with its cover read "World Passport" which was provided by the festival organizer to anyone who needed it. “(It’s) A very meaningful event. It allows us to learn about the cultures of multiple countries and taste their unique food while on campus in Tianjin. Now I have a better understanding of cultural exchange and mutual learning,” said Guo.

It is also a brand new experience for Nicole Kueh Shian Maun, a Malaysian studying environmental engineering in her second year at Tianjin University. She is one of the four student hosts of the art performances and attended the 24 season drums performance. “We are very grateful to the university for providing such a good opportunity for us to tell our Chinese peers what our country is like. And we are glad to learn about many other cultures and get to know many friends.”

It’s learned that Tianjin University International Cultural Festival has been successfully held for twelve times since 2007, and is known as the "TJU Mini World Expo". Currently, more than 3600 international students from 134 countries are studying at Tianjin University.