Learning through cultural exchange

UTAR Department of Soft Skills Competency of Sungai Long Campus collaborated with Qingdao Hengxing University of Science and Technology, China to organise the Virtual Mobility Programme: Cultural Exchange Learning. The four-day programme was conducted on 19, 20, 26 and 27 March 2022.

The poster of the event

The event started with an opening ceremony on 19 March 2022. Director of Division of Community and International Networking Assoc Prof Dr Lai Soon Onn gave his opening remarks and it was followed by another speech from Dean of International Study Schools of Qingdao HengXing University of Science and Technology Dr Li Haifeng.

Dr Lai (left) and Dr Li delivering their speech

The speakers who were present on the first day included Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre for Social and Policy Studies staff Lee Jenn Yuan, Founder and Executive Chairman of Eco Agri Solution Sdn Bhd Lai Mei Sheng and Liu Jingru from Qingdao Hengxing University of Science and Technology.

In his presentation titled An Overview of New Villages in Malaysia (History, Issue and Development), Lee shared how new villages in Malaysia were formed, the life of the villagers in the early stage and the difficulties faced by the people in new villages.

Lai’s presentation was titled Malaysia Fruits: King of Fruit Durian and Tropical Fruits. He began by sharing the market and history of durian with the participants. He taught participants how to differentiate the leaf and types of durian in Malaysia as well as in other countries.

Liu shared about China’s Employment Market. She explained the global employment situation, the general recruitment process and the different types of interviews conducted in China. The participants were able to gain a better understanding of the employment market in China.

Clockwise from top left: Lee, Lai and Liu

The speakers who were present on the second day included Qingdao Hengxing University of Science and Technology representative Cao Qizhen and UTAR Faculty of Accountancy and Management Deputy Dean Dr Hen Kai Wah.

In his presentation titled Culture Sharing: Exploring the Gems of Qingdao (Food, Cultural, Language, Products), Cao shared a brief history of Qingdao and introduced some interesting dialects in Qingdao. He also demonstrated some Qingdao dialects and dialects from other areas in China.

Dr Hen shared his topic titled E-Commerce Development in Malaysia. He shared the global statistics of e-commerce and the blooming of e-commerce in Malaysia after the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr Hen also invited students from Hengxing University to share their views of e-commerce in China as he thinks China has a matured e-commerce system.

From left: Cao and Dr Hen

The speakers present on the third day were Yao Jia and Deng Jiayu from Qingdao Hengxing University of Science and Technology.

Yao presented on Traditional Chinese Medicine. She shared a brief history of Traditional Chinese Medicine and taught participants about nature, namely the five elements of nature, senses, visceral, emotions and colours.

In Deng’s presentation, she explored the “Gems of Qingdao”. She shared many tourist and scenic spots in Qingdao such as the bathing beach, Olympics Sailing Centre, Badaguan and many more. Deng also shared a few videos taken by her friends and herself before and after the pandemic while sharing the story behind the buildings in Qingdao. She also invited UTAR students to share Malaysia’s culture and its scenic spots.

From left: Yao and Deng

On the last day of the sharing, assistant lecturers of the Department of Soft Skills Competency, Nur Farahin binti Bahari and Nurzanatul Amira binti Azizan presented on Culture Sharing: Introduction of Malaysian Language. Furthermore, they also shared about Malaysian celebrations and cultural diversity. They introduced the different types of foods offered in Malaysia and demonstrated a simple Malaysian traditional dance to make the session lively. 

Amira demonstrating a simple traditional dance

The closing ceremony saw a closing speech by Dr Lai and Dr Li. Both universities were glad that the virtual mobility programme ended successfully. They also expressed their wish to visit each other’s universities physically once the pandemic is over.

The virtual mobility programme ended with a group photography session and a closing video.

Student representatives from Hengxing University and UTAR

Participants of the Virtual Mobility Programme: Cultural Exchange Learning