By China News Service, Changchun, Dec. 19 (Chen Boyi) — “You know, coming to Changchun for this winter camp was like going through numerous hurdles — it wasn’t easy at all.” On the evening of the 19th, Jian Yijia from Taiwan’s Feng Chia University told a reporter from China News Service.
The 12th “Northern Scenery Winter Camp” for Taiwanese students opened in Changchun that night. A total of 203 teachers and students from 26 universities in Taiwan and 70 teachers and students from Jilin University participated.
Although the indoor temperature at the opening ceremony exceeded 20 degrees Celsius, the Taiwanese teachers and students were still wearing thick cotton-padded coats, woolen hats, and scarves — clearly, they hadn’t yet adapted to the frigid weather here. Aside from chatting, their most frequent activity was taking photos everywhere.
According to reports, since its first edition in 2002, the “Northern Scenery Winter Camp” has brought nearly 1,800 teachers and students from 35 universities in Taiwan to Northeast China, making it a signature event for cross-strait student cultural exchange.
This edition of the winter camp also attracted a large number of Taiwanese students to apply, to the extent that many schools had to adopt assessment methods to select participants through multiple rounds.
“When I saw my name on the list when the results were posted, I was really excited,” said Jian Yijia. It was his first time visiting the Northeast, and he was very much looking forward to seeing the ice lanterns and going skiing, hoping to make more friends through this exchange.
According to reports, during this winter camp, in addition to experiencing skiing, trying local northeastern snacks, watching winter swimming, ice lanterns, and snow sculptures, the Taiwanese students will also participate in student forums, academic exchange activities, and visit local Chinese families to get an up-close look at the daily life of ordinary mainland households and learn about the current state of social development on the mainland. (End)