2025 "International Chinese Language Day" Cultural Tour of Beigu Mountain
As the 2025 International Chinese Language Day approached, international students from Jiangsu University visited Beigu Mountain in Zhenjiang, where they participated in a unique cultural activity themed "Touch the Millennium Pulse of Chinese Characters, Explore the Charm of Chinese Language Across Time and Space". Centered on the International Chinese Language Day theme "Chinese: A Gift Across Time and Space", the activity offered international students an opportunity for in-depth engagement with the Chinese language through calligraphy appreciation, poetry recitation, and Chinese song performances. International Students Take a Group Photo in Front of Beigu Mountain.
On the day of the event, international students wandered along the time-honored paths of Beigu Mountain, among its pavilions and towers, embarking on a special journey to trace the roots of the Chinese language. At each scenic spot, Chinese teachers and student volunteers from Jiangsu University explained relevant historical allusions, ancient poems, and stone inscription calligraphy, closely linking the Chinese language with history and culture. Teachers from the Language and Culture Center of Jiangsu University Explain "Chinese Characters"
On-site In front of the stone carving inscribed with "The Most Magnificent Landscape Under Heaven", NASTRA, a girl from Ethiopia, gently stroked the six large characters and compared them with the oracle bone script of the character "jiang" (river) on her phone. She exclaimed, "I never knew the three-water radical of the character 'jiang' was written like this in the Song Dynasty!" SAAD, an international student from Iraq, said excitedly, "I used to only learn Chinese from textbooks. But here at Beigu Mountain, every Chinese character feels alive, as if it is taking me back to ancient times to converse with the ancients." In this way, the international students traced the evolutionary path of Chinese characters from seal script and clerical script to regular script across the mottled stone textures. Ethiopian Girl NASTRA: "I Want to Take a Photo with the Time-Honored Chinese Characters" At Beigu Tower, against the backdrop of the magnificent Yangtze River scenery, international students recited the heroic lines written by Xin Qiji: "Where can I gaze upon the land of my motherland? The boundless scenery spreads before Beigu Tower". Their recitation echoed with the river breeze, winning rounds of applause from tourists on-site. Jiya, a student from India, commented, "Standing on this classical tower, facing the real mountains and rivers, I deeply felt the emotions the poet held when depicting the landscape, savored the charm of Chinese characters, and even had the magical feeling of being the poet myself." International Students Recite Ancient and Modern Poems at Beigu Tower During the interactive session, Jasmine, a Nigerian student representative, delivered a heartfelt performance of the Chinese song "Myth", igniting a warm and lively atmosphere at the scene. Many Chinese tourists joined the activity group one after another, chatting with the international students and volunteering as tour guides to share the history of Beigu Mountain and spread Chinese culture. Meanwhile, the international students also introduced the similarities between their own national cultures and Chinese culture. At this moment, cross-cultural exchanges facilitated by the Chinese language were expanding from the campus to a broader world. International Student Representative Performs a Chinese Song, Attracting Tourists to Stop and Watch.
This activity is one of the series of events hosted by the Language and Culture Center of Jiangsu University to celebrate the 2025 International Chinese Language Day. It aims to integrate "Chinese language + cultural education" into nature and history through on-site teaching and experiential learning, and deeply connect it with Zhenjiang's local culture. The activity allows international students to personally experience that Chinese is a gift spanning time and space, embodying thousands of years of history and wisdom. It also hopes to inject new vitality into international Chinese language education through this exploration, blending ancient traditions with modern elements. (Photos/Text: Zhang Luo, Zhai Jiang)
