London, May 13 (Xinhua) -- "In China, my coursework mainly focused on arts management and other specialized studies within the field, but there was clearly insufficient exposure to the market aspects. At Ulster University in Northern Ireland, the courses are more focused on marketing and market analysis of artistic products. This perfectly complements the deficiencies in my education in China and will significantly help me promote the internationalization of Chinese opera culture using market forces in the future," said a female student surnamed Huang from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts. Huang exchanged to Ulster University for a year under the joint training agreement between the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts and Ulster University during her final college year in China.
Qiao, a mechanical engineering student from Shaanxi University of Science & Technology in northwest China and now studying at Ulster University, echoed similar sentiments. "Studying at Ulster University requires students to have strong autonomy and self-discipline. You need to proactively engage in learning to keep up with the pace and content provided by the teachers and effectively participate in relevant discussions. Moreover, discussions organized here are more open compared to those in China. The teaching in China, relatively speaking, is more solid, with a more robust grasp of the subject matter. These two education methods can be said to complement each other. Each has its strengths," said Qiao.
Ulster University has a longstanding collaboration with Shaanxi University of Science & Technology. Under the collaboration, junior and senior students from Shaanxi University of Science & Technology can be recruited by a branch campus of Ulster University to study for two years at Ulster and gain degrees from both institutions upon graduation.
It's not just Chinese students who feel this way. Teachers at Ulster University also highly praise the exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and British universities.
"One of the most important things we can do for students is to encourage them to interact with people from different backgrounds and cultures, broadening British students' international perspectives and cultural experiences. I just returned from visits to Beijing and Hubei in early April. For me, these visits allowed me to experience and feel Chinese culture firsthand, which is quite different from experiencing it through books. The exchanges and cooperation between our school and Chinese universities have been crucial over the years," said Professor Tom Maguire, head of the School of Arts and Humanities in Ulster University.
The political circles in Northern Ireland also share similar positive views on strengthening exchanges and cooperation with Chinese universities.
At the China-UK/Northern Ireland Education Cooperation Forum at Ulster University in Belfast, Edwin Poots, speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, said that broader international exchanges and dialogues are essential for advancing globalization. Through educational cooperation, China and Northern Ireland can maximize and share their respective experiences, promoting the potential for mutual learning and providing opportunities for future development.
Zheng Zeguang, Chinese Ambassador to the UK, noted at the forum that China has always been committed to educational openness and international exchanges. Practice has proven that Sino-British educational cooperation is mutually beneficial with broad prospects. Chinese students studying in the UK not only enrich the cultural diversity on British campuses, but also contribute to British education and research. Similarly, British students in China are also making contributions to Chinese education.
Currently, nearly 200,000 Chinese students are studying in the UK, including more than 2,000 at Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast. Since 2013, over 67,000 British students have studied in China or participated in internship programs.
Construction of educational cooperation projects between Chinese and Northern Irish universities is steadily advancing. For example, on May 1, Hubei Normal University and Ulster University signed an agreement to jointly establish a center for educational, linguistic, and cultural exchanges. Previously, the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts and Ulster University worked together to set up the China Arts and Culture Education Center (CACE), which became an important platform for promoting traditional Chinese arts and cultural exchanges.
(Contributed by Zhang Yadong, edited by Su Dan with Xinhua Silk Road, sudan@xinhua.org)
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