Correspondent: Yi Lisha Photography: Teachers and Students of the Study Tour Group
On August 19, as the plane pierced through the clouds and Sydney' coastline unfolded slowly outside the cabin window, the Australian study tour for nine students and one faculty advisor from Wuhan Technical University commenced. From the banks of the Yangtze River to the South Pacific, after traversing mountains and seas spanning more than 8,000 kilometres, over the 12-day itinerary, these students would engage in intellectual collisions in classrooms at Western Sydney University, understand diversity amid the streets and lanes of Sydney, and accomplish self-breakthroughs in one first experience after another.
In Class: Lighting Up Every Curious Mind
welcome ceremony
on-site campus tour
On the day after arrival, the study tour group headed to Western Sydney University for registration. Instead of rigid formalities, the students were greeted with a warm welcome gift. Craig, the university’s short-term study tour coordinator, held a welcome ceremony for the group and gave a detailed introduction to the university’s history, disciplinary strengths and international development strategy, helping the students form a clear impression of this unfamiliar institution. Afterwards, the English placement test and full-campus tour were carried out in order. From the operation skills of online learning platforms to reminders about daily life in Australia, the thorough and thoughtful explanations laid a solid foundation for the students’ overseas study and life.
Highlights of Fun-filled Classes
After the official classes began, the way classes were delivered at Western Sydney University was refreshing for the students. Moving away from one-way lecture-based teaching, the classrooms were filled with dynamic exchanges of ideas. Round-table group discussions, lively project debates and engaging interactive challenges took place one after another. At times, they debated heatedly over a research topic; at other moments, they cooperated seamlessly with international peers in games. English was no longer cold vocabulary and exercises on exam papers, but turned into a vivid tool for face-to-face communication and expression.
Classroom Interaction
Many students achieved breakthroughs in oral English, progressing from being afraid to speak up to taking the initiative to communicate. At the closing sharing session, one student remarked: Only when fully immersed in the language environment did I realize that speaking English is far less intimidating than I imagined.
In Communication: Let the Seeds of Chinese Culture Drift Afar
Teachers and students from all nations gathered together for a pizza party.
Knowledge takes root in classrooms, while cultural exchanges light up the entire study tour. On August 26, a traditional Chinese cultural experience event with unique oriental charm kicked off lively at Western Sydney University, drawing teachers and students from Australia, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Japan, South Korea and many other countries. At the joyful pizza party, young people from all nations sat together, chatting freely about their living customs amid constant laughter.
Member of the study tour group, Wen Yang from Class 25403, Guangxin Institute, introduced Wuhan Technical University to the audience.
Cultural Experience Class: 3D-printed Mortise-and-Tenon Palace Lanterns
The study tour group also brought mortise-and-tenon palace lanterns made by the university’s 3D Printing Centre and delivered a distinctive cultural experience class of 3D-printed mortise-and-tenon palace lanterns. During the session, members of the group introduced Wuhan Technical University to overseas teachers and students, explained the culture of mortise and tenon joints, palace lantern heritage and knowledge of 3D printing, and guided participants to assemble the lanterns step by step. As components clicked and locked into place one after another, delicate red palace lanterns gradually took shape. Holding their handcrafted works, international students exclaimed repeatedly: “Mortise and tenon joints are amazing! It’s just the Chinese version of Lego!” Where traditional intangible cultural heritage skills meet modern digital technology, the seeds of Chinese culture are quietly sown on this foreign campus.
On the Road: Measuring the Breadth of the World with Our Footsteps
A Visit to the Royal Botanic Garden
Spelling out the Romantic Letter W by WHVTU Students at the State Library of New South Wales
Beyond the classroom, Sydney itself serves as a huge open classroom. On August 21, led by Esther, a teacher from Western Sydney University, the study tour group set off on a city exploration activity to experience Sydney’s urban culture and customs up close. The group members strolled in front of the Sydney Opera House and felt the awe-inspiring integration of architecture and art. They visited the Hyde Park Barracks Museum, touching the texture of history amid every brick and tile. They wandered through the Royal Botanic Garden and encountered unique plants of the Southern Hemisphere by chance. Beneath the dome of the State Library of New South Wales, they savoured the tranquility of this palace of knowledge.
A Visit to Featherdale Wildlife Park
On August 22, the study tour group visited Blue Mountains National Park and Featherdale Wildlife Park. They had close encounters with kangaroos and koalas. Beneath the clear sky of the Southern Hemisphere, they truly experienced the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature.
A Visit to the Oldest Building on Western Sydney University’s Parramatta South Campus — the Former Female Orphan School
Outstanding Participant, Du Huizi from Class 25303, Business English Institute
Group Photo at the Closing Ceremony
On August 29, teachers and students of the study tour group visited Western Sydney University’s Parramatta South Campus and attended the closing ceremony. At the ceremony, Sam, the project lead of the study tour programme at Western Sydney University, fully acknowledged all students’ efforts and progress throughout the programme. He encouraged everyone to keep their enthusiasm for exploring the world and turn what they had seen, heard and felt during this tour into new motivation for their future study and growth. The students received their certificates of completion one by one from Western Sydney University teachers, packing this cross-border friendship into their bags.
On the return flight, members of the study tour group took up their pens one after another to write down their reflections. Du Huizi from Class 25303, Business English Institute, remarked: “This more-than-ten-day study tour experience has breathed life and warmth into all the words I memorized and passages I have read. This journey is not an end, but a brand-new starting point for me to measure the world with my footsteps.” Zhang Zhou from Class 25305, Big Data Institute, wrote: “This trip to Australia has made me realize that the world is broader than we imagine. The meaning of study travel lies not in ‘checking in at as many scenic spots as possible’, but in what we see, what we think and what changes within us.”
This Australian study tour serves as another vivid practice for Wuhan Technical University to deepen international exchanges and cooperation and advance education through financial support. In the future, the university will continue to build broader growth platforms to enable more students to “go global” and write their own chapters in this great book of the world.
(Reviewed by: Zhang Ziyi)
