(By Zhou Yijie, Shi Youquan, Correspondent)
On the morning of October 28, 2025, as the Double Ninth Festival approached, nine International students from our university, coming from countries such as Romania, Iran, Afghanistan, and Yemen, visited the Gezhouba City Garden Community. They participated in the Double Ninth Festival event themed "Chinese and Foreigners Compose the Double Ninth Melody Together, Fostering Neighborhood Harmony," organized by the Gezhouba Community.
Chinese and International residents jointly presented multiple performances, earning rounds of applause. Afghan student MASROOR MATIULLAH and Iranian student FIROUZI PARSA MELINA performed a duet of the Huangmei Opera piece "Matching Flowers." Though their singing skills were still budding, their heartfelt performance deeply moved the audience. Romanian student MALANCRAVEANU MARIA ELISABETA and BECHIR ANDREEA, and Iranian student SHAGHAYEGH CHEHRAZI danced with a Chinese dragon under the guidance of the community’s dragon dance team. Additionally, three Romanian students performed taiji broadsword and the 28-form tai chi. International students also presented the elderly in the community with gifts from HUST and extended festive greetings, filling the venue with warmth and touching moments.
Beyond the stage, International students moved through various activity zones, personally experiencing traditional Chinese cultural practices such as moxibustion, ancient massage techniques, arrow pitching game, calligraphy, and painting. Yemeni doctoral student IBRAHIM AHMED SALEH MURSHED, who has lived in the Gezhouba Community for seven years, shared emotionally, "Over these seven years, whether it's cleaning and security services in the Community or the mutual support among neighbors, I have felt warmth of home. This Double Ninth Festival event gave me the opportunity to deeply experience traditional Chinese culture."
In recent years, our university has strengthened collaboration with communities hosting a significant number of International students, such as Tong'anli Community, Fanyuecheng Community, and Jingwu Community. These efforts aim to enhance social management and services for foreigners in China, promote mutual learning and exchanges between Chinese and International residents, and jointly build Internationalized communities. Through these experiential education, we strive to foster International students at HUST who understand and befriend China.
