International students in Fuzhou

Peking University, July 5, 2023: Recently, a delegation of international students from Peking University, alongside staff members from the University’s International Students Division, Yenching Academy, and Office of Global Communications, traveled to southeast China's Fujian Province, as part of a study trip. 

During their journey to Fujian, the international students had a packed schedule. They traveled to Fuzhou, Quanzhou, and Xiamen and stopped at Xiamen University to engage in candid discussions.

Group photo

In Fuzhou, the students were invited to attend the 2023 China-US People-to-People Friendship Forum held on June 28, which was under the theme “Bond with Kuliang.” The bond, underlined in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s congratulatory letter to the forum, is traced back to over 30 years ago, when Xi invited Mrs. Elizabeth Gardner to Kuliang (in Fuzhou), helping her fulfill the wish of her late husband to return to his childhood home. 

“After listening to this letter I can see even 30 years ago the importance of people-to-people exchanges,” Devan Buescher, an American student who is currently studying at PKU’s School of Chinese as a Second Language, told PKU News, “Xi’s continued relationship with the friends of Kuliang and his old friends in Iowa show the current exchanges and the value of future exchanges between both countries.”

Group photo in Kuliang

On their visit to Kuliang, the international students had a tour of Gardner’s childhood home, seeing themselves the old items reminiscent of the Kuliang bond. As they sent their letters from Kuliang’s post office, they also played their parts in carrying on the precious connection over three decades on. 

As Lauren Koop, an American student at PKU School of International Studies, put it, “I hope to be part of the next generation of American and Chinese youth who preserve the historical bond between our two countries through friendship, goodwill, and mutual respect.”

Group photo at Xiamen University

For most international students, this was the first time that they had set foot in Fujian Province, which turned out to offer fresh opportunities to form a better-rounded view of China. 

“The study trip to Fujian made me understand how much China has actually changed in the past few years and what human beings and civilizations are capable of,” Batanova Serafima, a German student who is studying philosophy at PKU, shared with PKU News. 

Group photo in Xiamen

But the discovery of new places and exploration of a country as vast as China could also be accompanied by a small dose of “cultural shock.” As recounted by Amanda Cassano, an American student majoring in international relations: “My friend and I were delighted and surprised when one night in Quanzhou, we came upon a lively celebration outside of a temple. We later learned that the festivities were marking a celebration of Guan Gong (an ancient legendary mythical figure).”

“It was special to witness local people entering the temple to pay their respects while others watched lively opera performances outside in the open air,” she added.

Highlights from the trip:









Written by: Dennis Meng
Photos by: Dennis Meng