Student volunteers ready for expo service
Volunteer representatives at Shanghai International Studies University wave flags at the launch ceremony on Thursday.
Many local university students will be working as volunteers at the upcoming China International Import Export.
At Shanghai International Studies University, 196 students, the largest group of volunteers from a local university, attended a launch ceremony on Thursday afternoon.
They were selected from 1,132 applicants and will serve exhibitors and visitors in 19 languages, including English, French, Japanese, Russian, Hindi and Swahili.
Wang Jing, deputy Party secretary of the university, said it had provided more than 1,400 volunteers for the expo since the first one in 2018.
“Being a CIIE volunteer has become a fashion for our students, and we have also integrated it into our education for our students,” she said.
Among this year’s volunteers, 75 percent can speak two foreign languages while 18 percent can speak three. Five will serve the expo for the third time and 29 for the second time.
Gu Hang, a senior student majoring in Arabic, served at both previous expos.
“I have worked in the reception and the booth booking offices and this year I will be stationed at the press center in the National Exhibition and Convention Center,” he said. “I think I can practice and develop different skills at different posts. My abilities in communication and handling emergencies have improved a lot. For example, in the reception office, we had to design visiting routes for guests according to their purposes, background of culture and religion and dining habits. All the detailed preparations should be carefully made. Sometimes, I had to walk more than 40,000 steps a day.”
Gu said he had only one night to make preparations to receive a delegation. He used a reception plan for a delegation from a country with similar culture for reference and fulfilled the task.
Gu suggested his new fellow volunteers smile more even when tired during the expo so as to show hospitality to all participants.
When serving the expo, he also made his determination to become a diplomat.
“My teachers encouraged me to be a diplomat based on my academic performance and personality, and during the expo I also saw the charm of real diplomats, which is attractive to me,” he said. “So I applied for a selection by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for talent of less-spoken languages and passed it last year. I will join the ministry after graduation next year.”
Zhang Liwei, a first-year doctoral student majoring in Russian, said he began studying in Shanghai in September and this will be the first year for him to serve the expo. Previously, he had been a volunteer for the Summer Davos meeting in Tianjin. He will also serve at the press center during this year’s CIIE.
“The expo is a good opportunity for me to practice my language skills and experience the work of large-scale activities, which I think will be inevitable in my future work,” he said.
Zhang Xinyi, a second-year master’s student majoring in diplomacy, said she joined the volunteer team as Shanghai is a city full of voluntary spirit. She will serve as a translator for the expo back on campus.
A launch ceremony for volunteers who will serve the upcoming China International Import Expo.
Wang said 9,281 students at the university have registered as volunteers in Shanghai, accounting for 97.7 percent of its total. They provide at least 150,000 hours of voluntary services every year.
Earlier this year, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the university established a team of 1,180 volunteers to provide voluntary services in 27 languages to foreigners.
On Thursday afternoon, the university signed a letter of intent with Shanghai’s foreign affairs Office, emergency management bureau, youth league and some other organizations to improve the city’s service ability in foreign languages.
A student at East China University of Science and Technology shows a bag of anti-COVID-19 items that includes masks and hand sanitizer, chocolate and a portable charger for volunteers.
On Wednesday, 126 volunteers from East China University of Science and Technology also attended a ceremony to start their CIIE service.
Volunteers at the World Expo 2010 and previous volunteers of the import expo also shared their experiences.
He Xi, vice dean of the university’s Sino-German College of Technology and administrator of volunteers at the China Pavilion during the World Expo 10 years ago, shared schemes of volunteer training and work shifts.
“The outstanding performance of volunteers demonstrated Shanghai’s ability in urban governance and hosting large-scale activities,” he said.
The experienced volunteers showed the badges they have collected in voluntary services.
This year, the university has designed four badges for its volunteers, based on elements such as the university gate, CIIE mascot Jinbao, the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the CIIE venue, and the China Pavilion during the World Expo 2010.
The university has also prepared anti-COVID-19 items, such as masks, hand sanitizer, chocolate and portable charger, for its volunteers.
Badges for volunteers.
