On May 16-17, the 2025 Reading Jiangsu theme series for international students kicked off at Huaguoshan Mountain’s Old Gate Square in Lianyungang. Over 200 students from 54 countries across 37 universities in Jiangsu gathered to explore the legendary Journey to the West scenery and the sparkling Crystal Silk Road. Four international student representatives from our university participated in the launch ceremony and the first stop, Reading Lianyungang.
The event was hosted by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, co-organized by the Jiangsu Higher Education Association’s Committee for International Student Education Management, and jointly undertaken by Jiangsu Ocean University and Nantong University. During the solemn启动仪式 (launch ceremony), distinguished guests including Shen Xin, Vice President of Jiangsu Ocean University; Li Qinjing, Fourth-Level Researcher from the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education; and Zhang Haijun, Secretary-General of the Jiangsu Higher Education Association’s Committee for Foreign Student Education Management, joined leaders from Nantong University’s International Education College to officially inaugurate the annual cultural exchange initiative.
As a flagship program for Jiangsu’s educational internationalization, the Reading Jiangsu campaign, established in 2023, has successfully nurtured two previous editions. The initiative uses classic cultural texts as a vessel and regional characteristics as an oar, building a multidimensional reading + practice learning system that cultivates generations of culturally literate ambassadors who understand and befriend China. This year’s event innovatively adopts a Five-City Linkage model, with themed study tours in Lianyungang (Journey to the West culture), Taizhou (traditional Chinese medicine and wellness), Wuxi (Jiangnan water-town charm), Suqian (Western Chu civilization), and Nantong (Zhang Jian’s entrepreneurial spirit), transforming international students from sightseers into immersive cultural explorers.
During the event, our Vietnamese student representatives showcased their diverse talents: against the backdrop of Lianyungang’s mountains and sea, they reinterpreted the philosophical essence of Journey to the West with a soulful guitar and bamboo flute rendition of Dare to Ask Where the Road Lies, and performed Blue and White Porcelain in both Chinese and Vietnamese, earning thunderous applause. The cultural immersion went deeper through seven modules, including Journey to the West book giveaways, live-scene study sessions, dialogues with intangible cultural heritage artisans, and visits to digital economy enterprises. In Donghai County, the Crystal Capital, they decoded the fusion of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology, while at Lianyungang Port, they felt the pulse of the Belt and Road Initiative’s strategic hub.
From real-life Journey to the West classrooms to mobile lectures on China’s national conditions, from nature walks in scenic landscapes to industrial tours in the smart port city, the event broke traditional study frameworks, creating an immersive learning chain of texts—field visits—digital experiences—cultural co-creation. By blending reading thousands of books with traveling thousands of miles, the students not only touched the cultural fabric of the Monkey King’s homeland but also gained insights into the innovative spirit driving China’s modernization.
The 2025 Reading Jiangsu series will continue until year-end, weaving a cross-temporal tapestry of cultural exchange through five iconic cities. By guiding international youth to read China through travel and share friendship through experience, the event fulfills its mission of fostering mutual understanding through cultural engagement.
