Recently, the School of Languages and Cultures (School of International Communication and Exchange) organized a “Belt and Road” currency culture mutual learning and exchange event. The event was presided over by Zhou Zhanjun, a guidance counselor from SLC. Mr. Du Xiaojian, the author of Chinese Imprints on World Currencies and a currency collector and researcher, was invited to share the Chinese stories on the currencies of Belt and Road countries with more than 20 international students from the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.
At the event, Du Xiaojian used currency as a starting point and centered around the “Belt and Road” initiative. By displaying his collection of coins, he eloquently explained the connections between the patterns on the coins and China. The attending international students were closely admiring these coins and deeply attracted by the nearly hundred pieces of currency bearing “Chinese imprints”. While listening to the stories behind them, the students engaged in discussions about currency culture. For instance, Russian international students were very surprised when they saw the “Silk Road Commemorative Silver Coin” issued by the Russian National Bank in 2011. They searched for images of Russian banknotes and communicated with the teachers and students present. Ailing, a Thai international student, pointed to her country’s commemorative coins and said that the Rama Bridge was a project undertaken by a Chinese company in 1998 and was the result of cooperation between several companies from China and Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Thailand. Saide, a foreign student from Saudi Arabia, held a 2016 version of the 10 Riyal banknote and detailed the grand blueprint of the Saudi Arabian capital’s “Vision 2030” printed on the note, which includes many smart city construction projects powered by China’s new quality productive forces. He warmly invited his classmates to visit Saudi Arabia in the future. Du Xiaojian sincerely told the young international students from various countries: Only when the world is good can China be good; only when China is good can the world be better.
Through this currency culture mutual learning and exchange event, everyone deeply realized that China’s “Belt and Road” initiative is not just a slogan or legend, but a successful practice and a wonderful reality. Next, SLC will continue to make efforts, relying on the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization training base and international student resources from countries along the “Belt and Road”, to create brand activities that combine language and culture with international exchange characteristics, and to effectively promote the high-quality development of international talent cultivation.
School of Languages and Cultures (School of International Communication and Exchange)
