Overseas students amazed by cultural tours in Shanghai
Some foreign students took a day out among their busy schedule before the National Day holiday to tour around Shanghai's Yuyuan Road and walked by the Suzhou Creek.
It was part of a cultural exchange, and after the day, they said the time was worthwhile and they now understood the city in a more profound way.
In Shanghai's Changning District, Yuyuan Road, a street with heritage villas and former residences of historical celebrities like Qian Xuesen and Rewi Alley, foreign students from Shanghai University, Tongji University, East China Normal University, and Fudan University immersed themselves in listening to stories about them.
"It is really nice to have this opportunity to hear about these cultural stories," said Alkhanova Assel, who is from Kazakhstan and is a student at Tongji University.
Overseas students visit the former home of Qian Xuesen, founding father of China's missile and space industry.
Qian Xuesen studied abroad and became a tenured professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States in 1947. Qian returned to China in 1955 and helped establish China's nuclear weapons and space programs.
He was a Chinese mathematician, cyberneticist, aerospace engineer, and physicist who made significant contributions to aerodynamics and helped to establish engineering cybernetics.
Qian was recognized as the founding father of China's missile and space industry.
"I felt very inspired and touched by Qian Xuesen's story," said Obed Kipkemboi Tiony, a doctoral student at Shanghai University.
He is from Kenya and has lived in the city for the past 11 years.
"My ultimate goal is to learn skills abroad and return to my homeland."
"I've lived in Shanghai for over 11 years," he said. "I've passed this road several times, but I had no idea it was so full of stories."
Tiony's dream is to find a job in Shanghai and gain more experience in applying what he learned at university.
"Shanghai is like a second home to me," he said. "It would be fantastic if I could find a job that is relevant to both China and Kenya."
Students who signed up for the tour ranged from freshmen to doctoral candidates.
"I've been here since high school," said Tsunekawa Hiroshi, a Fudan University student from Japan who has lived in the city for over eight years.
"Shanghai always surprises me," he said. "I knew longtang was a typical lane with residences in Shanghai, but I had no idea about the stories behind those lanes."
Overseas students visit the former residence of Rewi Alley, who came to Shanghai in 1927 and played an important role in China's revolution and reconstruction.
Apart from Qian Xuesen's old house, Mawuna Ayefounin's favorite tour site was the Changning District water-front section of Suzhou Creek near the East China University of Political Science and Law.
"The place is so peaceful with the water view and the green trees swaying in the breeze," Ayefounin told Shanghai Daily.
Ayefounin, who is from Togo, has only been in Shanghai for a short time, despite having studied Chinese for five years.
His Chinese name is Tianci, which means "given by God."
"My Chinese name means the same as my real name," he said.
Students take a walk along Suzhou Creek.
