On November 14th, 2020, the "Experiencing China" themed activity, sponsored by the China Scholarship Council and undertaken by Chang'an University, kicked off at the Yanta campus of Chang'an University. Mr. Zhang Wei and Lv Weidong, Dean and Associate Dean of the School of International Education, Chang'an University, as well as more than 150 Chinese and foreign teachers and students from other universities in Shaanxi attended the event.

International students of 9 universities who were awarded the Chinese Government Scholarship shared their personal experiences during the COVID-19 in China. The universities are namely Xi'an Jiaotong University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Northwest A&F University,University of Electronic Science and Technology at Xi'an, Northwest University (Xi'an), Xi'an Shiyou (Petroleum)University, Chang'an University, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an International Studies University.

Mr Zhang Wei, Dean of School of International Education in Chang'an University, delivered the speech during the session.He greeted all the teachers and students with warm welcome, and encouraged all international students to study hard. He also remarked that the international students' experiences of fighting against COVID-19 are very special and meaningful, which are pretty worth sharing internationally.

The event consists of two parts: story sharing in the morning and Chinese culture experiencing activities in the afternoon. The event in general aims to help international students know China better and understand the spirit of the Chinese people collectively fighting against the COVID-19.

International students shared their own stories of fighting against the COVID-19 from different perspectives.

Mamadou Yacine Diop from Senegal, who is currently a postgraduate student majored in Architecture at Chang'an University, shared his story of volunteering in Guangzhou during the COVID-19 and providing French interpretation for the community's epidemic prevention work.

Philemon Lindagatofrom Rwanda, a doctoral student in Geology at Chang'an University, shared the story of running the "Doctor's Kitchen" on campus with his classmates during the COVID-19 and delivering "on-campus" meals to students.

Algunaid Haithm Abdullah Yahya, who came from Yemen and is majored in computer science at University of Electronic Science and Technology at Xi'an, shared his experience of visiting Wuhan - “The City of Heroes” last week.

Murshed Adham Fuad Saifand Hassan Emad Ahmed Abdulghaffar from Xi'an Shiyou (Petroleum)University, as well as Maulen Merasfrom Northwestern University shared their experiences of learning Chinese via the internet during the COVID-19.

Mambetova Elnura from Shaanxi Normal University also shared her unique experience of playing the role as a Chinese mother during the COVID-19.

After the sharing session, Lv Weidong, Associate Dean of the School of International Education at Chang'an University, presented the commemorative certificates to the international students, encouraging them to continue their efforts to learn Chinese and deepen their understanding of China in various aspects.

During the afternoon, the international students went to Xi'an Expo Park located in Chanba Ecological District, learning about the history of the famous ports and international trade of ancient China.

The location of Xi'an World Expo Park used to be one of the crucial ports in ancient China.

As early as the Tianbao Period(742-756) of the Tang Dynasty, the emperor Tang Xuanzong held a large-scale water transportation expo and a commodity fair here, which is one of the earliest recorded international expos.

The park consists of one tower, three pavilions, five islands and five gardens, mainly themed in ecology, science and technology, history and culture. The Xi'an Expo Park fully demonstrates the profound history also the vitality of Xi'an as both an ancient capital and a modern metropolis.

Through this activity, the students had a better understanding of Chinese history, culture and the key spirit of current era, they also knew better of various achievements of China in fighting against the COVID-19 and the recovery of businesses and production, as well as accomplishments of China in economy, foreign trade and other fields.