The Magallanes World Study Tour (MWST) 2.0 which kick-started on 11 October 2022 at The West Coast University of Applied Science, Germany continued with its second station at Huaqiao University (HQU), China on 17 October 2022. The virtual study tour, which was held via Zoom, saw more than 280 participants from UTAR, HQU and other partner universities.

MWST 2.0 aimed to promote the concept of internationalisation by joining hands with collaborative partners to create opportunities to explore different contexts and worldviews via virtual mediums and provide participants, from all around the world, the opportunity to experience the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world heritage through virtual platforms including sites, and tangible and intangible cultural assets.

The virtual tour started with an introduction to HQU’s history, background and current development, led by Deputy Director for Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, HQU Han Jiachen. Han revealed, “HQU is one of the universities that has recruited the largest number of overseas students in China. There are 7,070 international students (22%) from over 80 countries and regions studying on both campuses. The university is dedicated to international exchange and collaboration, and to date, it has signed collaboration agreements with more than 250 universities, research institutes and government partners from 42 countries and regions.”

Next, a sharing on “The Value of Fujian World Heritage; an introduction” was conducted by Vice President of Quanzhou Overseas Returned Scholars Association and Chief Translator/Interpreter of China Quanzhou’s World Heritage Nomination Zeng Guoheng, who is also an alumnus of HQU.

While introducing the concept of “World Heritage” from UNESCO, Zeng said, “Heritage is our legacy from the past; what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.” He encouraged participants to log on to the UNESCO website to know more about the World Heritage list, World Heritage map, general information and details of World Heritage.

In addition, he shared the operational guidelines of UNESCO, the committee members of UNESCO and the requirements to be inscribed on the World Heritage list, which included outstanding universal value, criteria, integrity, authenticity, protection and management, and evaluation.

Subsequently, Zeng displayed the map of Fujian and explained, “There are a total of 56 World Heritage properties in China, which include 38 cultural properties, 14 natural properties and four mixed properties. In Fujian, there are five World Heritage properties, including Mount Wuyi (mixed, 1999), Fujian Tulou (cultural, 2008), China Danxia (natural, 2010), Kulangsu (cultural, 2017) and Quanzhou (cultural, 2021).”

He elaborated, “Mount Wuyi (武夷山) officially became Fujian’s first and China’s fourth UNESCO cultural and natural heritage site in 1999. It reflects the fusion between the natural landscape and Buddhist culture; religious belief in the natural landscape and Chinese philosophical thinking on the harmony that exists between man and nature. Fujian Tulou (福建土楼), on the hand, officially became a UNESCO cultural heritage site in 2008. Fujian Tulou is the best representative and preserved example of the tulou of the mountainous regions of south-eastern China, built between the 13th and 20th centuries. Tulou and their extensive associated documentary archives reflect the emergence, innovation and development of outstanding art of earthen building over seven centuries.”

He mentioned, “The impressive and unique landscape of great natural beauty, China Danxia (中国丹霞) became a UNESCO natural heritage site in 2010. China Danxia is a serial property comprising six component which are Chishui, Taining, Langshan, Danxiashan, Longhushan and Jianglangshan, found in the sub-tropical zone of south-eastern China. It is characterised by spectacular red cliffs and a range of erosional landforms, including dramatic natural pillars, towers, ravines, valleys and waterfalls.”

“The historic international settlement, Kulangsu (鼓浪屿) became a UNESCO cultural heritage site in 2017. Kulangsu is a tiny island located on the estuary of the Chiu-lung River, facing the city of Xiamen. With the opening of Xiamen as a commercial port in 1843, and Kulangsu as an international settlement in 1903, Kulangsu suddenly became an important window for Sino-foreign exchanges. Its heritage reflects the composite nature of a modern settlement composed of 931 historical buildings of a variety of local and international architectural styles, natural sceneries, a historic network of roads and historic gardens,” he added.

“Lastly, the emporium of the world in the Song and Yuan dynasties, Quanzhou (泉州) became a UNESCO cultural heritage in 2021. The serial site of Quanzhou illustrates the city’s vibrancy as a maritime emporium during the Song and Yuan dynasties and its interconnection with the Chinese hinterland. The components and contributing elements of the property include sites of administrative buildings and structures, religious buildings and statues, cultural memorial sites and monuments, production sites of ceramics and iron as well as a transportation network formed of bridges, docks and pagodas that guided the voyagers. They comprehensively reflect the distinguishing maritime territorial, socio-cultural and trade structures of Song-Yuan Quanzhou,” he concluded.

During the Q&A session, the speakers were seen discussing the difference between Hakka Tulou and Fujian Tulou, the functions of Fujian Tulou, the dialect of Quanzhou, famous foods and tourist attractions in Quanzhou, the influences of Southeast Asia and Arab to Quanzhou, Quanzhou as a diverse city, and many more. The participants gained a deeper understanding of the Fujian World Heritage from the sharing session.