Twelve students and teachers from Sewickley Academy arrived at Shanghai Institute of Technology (SIT) on 14 March to kick off a four-day exchange program. Under the guidance of Li Weiping, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Education International Exchange Association, and Xu Yue, Project Manager, the program was organized by SIT’s International Office and School of Foreign Languages. It skillfully blended tradition with modernity, taking students from the Confucian rites and living heritage of Yanzi Academy, Qingxi Ancient Town, and Zhelin Town to the vistas of China's contemporary development at Shanghai Tower, the Bund, and Yu Garden.

    At the Sino-American youth exchange and sharing session, Li Weiping extended a warm welcome to the Sewickley Academy delegation and also commended the thoughtful preparations by our faculty and students regarding accommodation, itinerary, and cultural activities. He expressed his firm belief that cultural exchange programs can transcend geographical boundaries, providing a platform for young people to broaden their horizons, share ideas, and jointly address global challenges.

    Chen Qingchang, Director of the Office of International Exchange, stated that this exchange program was not only an immersion in and understanding of Eastern wisdom but also a platform for Sino-foreign friendship and a resonance among young hearts. Pan Zhidan, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, noted that the School had devoted itself to forging a bond of friendship for this Sino-American student exchange, embodying the spirit of sharing, learning and growing together.

    At Yanzi Academy in Fengxian and Qingxi Ancient Town, our English-majored students gave bilingual presentations on Yan Yan—one of the "Ten Eminent Disciples of Confucius—expounding his teachings about ritual and music and tracing the roots of Confucian culture. While viewing famous lines from the Analects, the American students exclaimed, “Confucius’ idea of ‘harmony in diversity’ dovetails perfectly with our multicultural coursework!” During a separate visit to Zhelin Town’s “Little Forest Camp,” the intangible cultural heritage activities amazed the American teachers and students with the vitality of China's distinctive local culture. Under the guidance of inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, Chinese and American youths jointly made square cakes and sachets. Steps like kneading rice paste, carving molds, and steaming rice cakes allowed the American students to experience the process of creating Chinese delicacies; amidst the lingering scents of sandalwood and mugwort, the American teachers and students hung scented plaques around their necks, contemplating the Eastern meaning and philosophy carried by the art of incense. In a later session, the rolling-lantern display captivated the American guests: bamboo globes spun golden arcs against the dusk, leaving them convinced that China’s local traditions are alive and thriving.

In downtown Shanghai, the delegation strolled from the Bund’s parade of nations to the 632-metre summit of Shanghai Tower, applauding China’s modern ascent along the vertical skyline. On Nanjing Road, AI shopping robots sparked lively debate, while at Yu Garden’s Nine-Bend Bridge and along the Bund balustrades, students from the School of Foreign Languages delivered “Shanghai-style bilingual tours,” blending past and present in one sensory sweep and turning sightseeing into a living lesson in cultural communication.

Following this visit, our university will establish a long-term cooperation mechanism with Sewickley Academy to promote innovative "foreign language + cultural communication" dialogue and exchanges between the two institutions. This will further develop the program into a practical platform for our students to hone their skills in international cooperation, exchange, and communication. It aims to enable students to demonstrate their language application and cultural dissemination abilities in authentic cross-cultural scenarios, tell China's stories well, and provide vivid case studies for the university's talent cultivation.