Students Explore Chinese Culture, Malaysia-China Ties At Embassy Open Day

By Nur Atiq Maisarah Suhaimi

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- More than 70 Malaysians and international students participated in a China Embassy Open Day on Tuesday, gaining first-hand exposure to Chinese culture through various activities held in conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Students from Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia (UPTM), Asia Pacific University (APU) and Sekolah Menengah Sains Tapah, Perak attended the programme.

Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia Xu Sisheng said the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of China’s most important traditional festivals, symbolising family reunion, peace and well-being, while embodying people’s longing for their loved ones and aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous nation.

“In Malaysia, Mid-Autumn celebrations have blended with local customs, becoming an integral part of Malaysia’s multicultural society.

“They also serve as a vivid testament to the exchanges of civilisations, as well as the mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of China and Malaysia,” he said in his speech at the Open Day, which was held at the embassy.

Xu said China and Malaysia are friendly neighbours with a long history and a shared future, describing bilateral ties as a model for relations between countries.

He said the embassy will continue to support friendly exchanges between the peoples of both countries, especially among the youth. 

“Last year, President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to Malaysia. Since taking office, (Prime Minister) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has visited China and met with Chinese leaders multiple times. These greatly advanced the building of a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future. 

“China stands ready to work with Malaysia to strengthen the alignment of development strategies, seize opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and build a regional hub for cooperation on new quality productive forces, so as to facilitate each other’s modernisation and benefit our peoples,” he said.

As part of the Open Day activities, participants had the opportunity to experience various aspects of Chinese culture, including making traditional Chinese lanterns, playing traditional games such as pitch-pot and a Mid-Autumn mooncake scooping game, as well as trying on hanfu, traditional Chinese attire.

Among the students, Nurul Wafa Mohd Rosnan, 16, from Sekolah Menengah Sains Tapah in Perak, said the Open Day gave her a better understanding of Malaysia-China relations and technological development.

“This programme is really good because if we are interested in international affairs, like going abroad or potentially working in China, it is very helpful.

“It allows us to get to know China better, and I also learned about how China and Malaysia established their friendship and about China’s AI technology, so I feel quite excited,” she told Bernama.

Meanwhile, Thai international student Kuno Najma, 26, who is pursuing a degree in Corporate Communication at UPTM, said the event allowed her to experience Chinese culture first-hand.

“For me, it is a special event because I have never visited here (the embassy), and I have never been to China before. It's a great way for me to learn about Chinese culture. Many things are surprising...some things I only watch in series. So today, I have had an experience wearing traditional clothes and also playing traditional games,” she said.

-- BERNAMA