Yang Mei

yangmei_szdaily@163.com

THE Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (Tsinghua SIGS) Global Summer School opened its doors yesterday, welcoming nearly 150 international students for a week of immersive and intellectually stimulating academic experiences.

Throughout the week, Tsinghua SIGS teachers will deliver cutting-edge lectures and lead workshops, group discussions, and hands-on projects designed to spark creativity. Participants will also visit Tsinghua SIGS labs and leading companies in Shenzhen to gain firsthand experience with the city’s technological innovation and industrial development.

Additionally, Tsinghua SIGS will organize various cultural exchange activities and a field trip to Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, to give students a glimpse into Cantonese culture and broader Chinese culture.

Aigerim Baimukhanbetova, a computer science graduate from Astana IT University in Kazakhstan, said she applied for the summer school because Tsinghua University is “a great university” known for its academic excellence. She also sees it as a unique opportunity for travel and study, as she has never been abroad before.

“I expect to visit new places to see something new and interesting,” the 20-year-old said. “I know that Tsinghua SIGS has very smart and cool teachers, so I believe that they will teach me something great.”

Baimukhanbetova noted that she was deeply impressed by the sheer size of Shenzhen the minute she landed. “The Shenzhen airport is so big,” she recalled. “It was quite challenging to find my taxi and use applications, but I was lucky because a Chinese girl helped me figure that out.”

It is the first time for Juan David Salazar Rodriguez, a Colombian Ph.D. candidate in architecture at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and Abigail Gumpo, a Zimbabwean master’s degree student in engineering at the University of Leeds in the U.K., to visit Shenzhen and China. They were particularly impressed by Shenzhen’s modern infrastructure.

As an engineer, Gumpo said she applied for the program because she is eager to experience China’s development firsthand and meet students from around the world. “China is famous for its rapid development, so I wanted to experience it firsthand. And also, it’s a great platform to interact with people from all over.”

Salazar Rodriguez shares similar motivations. “I’m very curious about how China is like. And Shenzhen is one of the most developed cities in China, so I was wondering how people are living here and how things are going,” he said.

He added that he looks forward to the university’s lectures and is excited to exchange ideas with his peers. He also expressed interest in Chinese culture, especially the food. “I love Chinese food. I’d like to try more Cantonese food like dim sum.”

Gumpo looks forward to field trips to learn about local history. “I also want to experience Chinese cuisine because I’ve never had it before back home in Zimbabwe. I hope after the program is finished, I’ll be able to use chopsticks,” she said.

Yesterday afternoon, the participants began their tour of the city by visiting Nantou Ancient Town, the Civic Center, and Shenzhen Talent Park, experiencing Shenzhen’s history and urban development.

According to Tsinghua SIGS, the Global Summer School has drawn 148 international students from 44 countries and 101 universities. Forty-seven of them hail from 17 institutions with established partnerships with the university.

The summer school aims to broaden students’ international perspectives and foster the exchange of ideas and experiences among young scholars from around the world.