On the afternoon of September 24, the Mid-Autumn Festival cultural exchange event themed "Moonlight Gathers at Fuzhou University, Shared Roots Across the Seas" was held at the one-stop shared space in Building 14 and at the Jingyuan Dining Hall in Haitang Garden. International faculty members and postdoctoral researchers of the School, international students from Belt and Road partner countries, and Chinese faculty members and students came together to experience Mid-Autumn Festival customs, take part in discipline-based interaction and join in food preparation, gaining a first-hand appreciation of fine traditional Chinese culture, renewing friendships between China and other countries, and celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival as one community.

The event was co-hosted by the School together with the Department of Student Affairs, the Logistics Management Office, the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, the School of Foreign Languages and the Maynooth International School of Engineering. Yang Huanghao, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Fuzhou University Committee and Vice President of Fuzhou University, attended the event and, together with the heads of the relevant departments and schools, interacted with Chinese and international faculty members and students and shared in the festive atmosphere of Mid-Autumn culture. Also present were Wu Tangfeng, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School, Wu Zhaohui, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the School, and Yuan Huihui, Assistant to the Dean of the School.

Fun and Interaction: Savouring the Cultural Significance of the Mid-Autumn Festival

At the event, Professor Pierfrancesco Cacciola and Professor Alessandro Contento, international faculty members of the School, took part in fun games with the students and learned about Mid-Autumn culture and traditional customs, exchanging views on festival traditions through shared experience. Providence Habumuremyi, a postdoctoral researcher from Rwanda, and Michela De Angelis, a postdoctoral researcher from Italy, were also present, and Habumuremyi conversed with faculty members and students in fluent Chinese. A festival reunion beyond the classroom gave Chinese and international faculty members and students a chance to get to know one another and deepen mutual understanding.

Bilingual Chinese–English lantern riddles, a Mid-Autumn quiz and other activities wove cultural knowledge into light-hearted interaction, making it easy for faculty members and students with different language backgrounds to take part together. From guessing lantern riddles to playing pitch-pot (*touhu*), Chinese and international faculty members and students communicated through games and engaged with one another through hands-on experience, turning a traditional festival into a bond of cross-cultural communication.

Reflections from Participants

Student of the inaugural dedicated cohort: "Traditional festivals are a good opportunity to understand a culture. Experiencing Mid-Autumn customs together with our classmates has given us more opportunities to connect beyond the classroom. Working side by side and sharing with one another not only deepened our understanding of festival culture, but also brought us closer together."

Disciplinary Exchange: Building Bridges of Cultural Communication

The School's disciplinary strengths were also woven into the exchange. In the "Building the Moon Bridge Together" interactive area, Chinese and international students worked side by side to assemble bridge models, exchanging ideas as they collaborated. Disciplinary societies such as the Building Structure Association and the Bridge Innovation and Cultural Creativity Association joined the English Speaking Association of the School of Foreign Languages in presenting their work; through model exhibits, introductions to research and innovation achievements and on-site discussion, they combined disciplinary interests with cultural experience, giving Chinese and international students more topics in common.

Hands-On Creation: Experiencing the Warmth of Chinese Reunion

At the Jingyuan Dining Hall in Haitang Garden, Chinese and international faculty members and students made dumplings and mooncakes together. Kneading the wrappers, filling them, pressing them into moulds and shaping them, they demonstrated techniques to one another, exchanged methods and shared the fruits of their work. Plate after plate of dumplings and mooncake after mooncake made traditional Chinese food a bond through which Chinese and international faculty members and students exchanged cultures and shared goodwill, and brought the fine meaning of reunion into the shared process of making and tasting.

The hand-painted folding fan session was equally full of the delights of cross-cultural exchange. International students took up their brushes to paint fans, wrote Chinese characters such as *fu* (福, meaning "blessing"), exchanged gifts with Chinese students and spoke freely about their studies, campus life and the scenery of their hometowns. A single character for blessing and a single gift gave vivid expression to the message "Come to Fuzhou University and be embraced by good fortune." Young people from different cultural backgrounds drew closer to one another through joint creation and mutual sharing, adding warmth and affection to this festive gathering.

Reflections from Participants

Student of the inaugural dedicated cohort: "Making dumplings, making mooncakes and writing Chinese characters together with my Chinese classmates has given me a more concrete understanding of traditional Chinese culture. As we worked with our hands and talked, we had more opportunities to get to know one another. Although I am far from home, being able to celebrate the festival with my teachers and classmates makes me feel very warm."

With the Moon as a Bond: Deepening Internationally Oriented Education

The international students who took part in the event came mainly from Nepal, Nigeria, Yemen, the Czech Republic and Italy. Thirteen of them are students of the dedicated graduate cohort in civil engineering for international students from Belt and Road partner countries, the first cohort of its kind admitted by the School this year. Celebrating the festival together gave the new students an opportunity to learn about Chinese culture and become familiar with campus life, and brought internationally oriented talent cultivation into closer connection with campus cultural life.

In 2016, the School was selected for the first group of Chinese universities taking part in the national pilot programme for demonstration schools of internationalisation (local institutions). At present, the School has signed 20 talent cultivation cooperation agreements with 14 countries and regions and offers nearly 30 core disciplinary courses taught by international faculty members, steadily expanding the pathways for open education and talent development.

With a traditional festival as its bond, this event combined cultural experience, disciplinary interaction and exchange among faculty members and students, enriching the School's practice of internationally oriented education. The School will continue to build platforms for multicultural exchange, so that internationalisation is reflected not only in its courses and programmes but also in the campus life shared by Chinese and international faculty members and students.