Connecting time zones, our heats align; Bridging distances, our hands unit.
On the morning of May 17, the 2025 International Cultural Festival themed “Harmony with the World, Convergence for the Future” (和世界，合未来) ceremoniously commenced at Renmin University’s Qiu Shi Garden.
This year’s festival innovatively organized four culturally curated zones - Attire Culture, Handicrafts, Global Cuisine, and Interactive Experiences - totaling 31 exhibition booths. These spaces, accentuating transcultural integration and dynamic engagement, were complemented by multicultural performances, attracting students from nearly 30 countries including China, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Ethiopia, and Pakistan.
Coinciding with the university’s 3rd Annual Alumni Reunion Day, the event transformed the garden into a vibrant cross-road of global traditions, where faculty, students, and alumni strolled together through cultural blossoms flourished under early summer sunshine.
01 Opening
Amidst the exuberant rhythms of Vietnamese bamboo dance, the International Cultural Festival ceremoniously commenced its prologue.
Zheng Xinye, Vice President of Renmin University of China, delivered the opening remarks. He emphasized that this festival would serve as a platform for exchange and mutual learning among civilizations, fostering consensus on peaceful development and deepening international camaraderie.
In his address, Professor Zheng urged students to immersively engage in exchanges and interactions during the event, showcasing the kaleidoscopic diversity of global civilizations. He expressed hope that participants would transcend boarders by building the bridge of friendship and collectively co-author youthful chronicles of civilizational exchange.
Vice President Zheng Xinye delivered the opening remarks.
Law School, Class of 2023, Postgraduate Chen Yonghao (China)
School of Journalism, Class of 2022, Doctoral Candidate LENA ABBAS JAWAD (Iraq)
School of International Studies, Class of 2023, Undergraduates An Liyong(ELLIOT FRENNSTEDT, Sweden)
Representing international students, LIA VICHINHESKI NENES (Brazil), MERITA ENGDAW ENDESHAW (Ethiopia), HO CHING LING (Malaysia), and NOVAIS SILVA GONCALO (Portugal) delivered speeches,sharing their transformative journeys within RUC’s multicultural ecosystem, which vividly interpreted their youth stories of solidarity and symbiotic coexistence.
02 Stage Snapshot
International students from Malaysia, South Korea, Nepal, Ireland, Vietnam, and Sierra Leone, alongside Chinese student associations, together delivered spectacular performances. With swirling skirts dancing to rhythmic steps, melodies interwoven with pulsating beats, they composed an overture of youth. The stage radiated with sonorous harmonies and iridescent traditional costumes, where world cultures blossomed vibrantly.
03 International Booth
During the event, each present exhibition booth was co-designed and arranged by Chinese and international students. Their collaborative efforts temporarily brought the global village to life, engaged in cross-cultural dialogues and resonated with the world.
Attire Culture
In the Attire Culture Zone, every stitch embroidered global cultural diversity while intricate patterns and floral motifs wove a vibrant tableau of prosperity.
Handicrafts
In the Handicraft Zone, an array of exquisite works bears the warmth of artisans’ hands and guards profound cultural legacies that transcend time.
Global Cuisine
In the Global Cuisine Zone, taste buds embark on a global journey before your feet set sail. Here, tangy, sweet, spicy, and savory flavors ignite a shared passion for life’s vibrant flavors.
Interactive Experiences
In the Interactive Experiences Zone, gazes become heartfelt greetings, while laughter resonates as universal dialect.
Civilizations illuminate each other through mutual learning; we traverse mountains and seas to meet each other. Here at Renmin University of China, students’ hearts are intertwined, embodying harmony through shared beauty; arms wide open, we embrace the world’s vibrant panorama.
