4 minute read
BACK TO CHINA!
After a four-year break due to the COVID pandemic, a tradition was restored at Group T Campus: the annual China Journey Project. From 31 March to 12 April 2024, Leuven engineering students once again set off on an exploration of the immense country. Among them, third-year bachelors Marta Rózycka and Enrico Bregni. They tell the story.
The first edition of the China Journey took place in 2000. It was an immediate hit. More than 200 students – divided into four travel groups – visited at least four major cities spread across the country. Between 2000 and 2019, more than 2,500 students and staff members travelled to China this way. An experience that most are still talking about.
Ingredients
The new start was rather modest in size: 14 participants led by Campus Chair professor Wim Dewulf in person. However, the ingredients of the past were retained: a well-dosed mix of culture, company and campus visits, nature, cuisine and relaxation, all as much as possible in the company of students from the local partner universities. Even for a cosmopolitan student like Marta, who has previously studied in Singapore and travelled around East Asia, this total immersion in the land of the Dragon provided a culture shock. “Everything is different there, I noticed immediately. People clearly live, work, study on a different scale ... You actually fall from one surprise into another. Now I understand a bit more what the Chinese students experience when coming to Leuven and how much they miss the familiar surroundings. I myself am an international student at Group T Campus but the differences with my homeland Poland are nothing compared to what the Chinese students experience.”
Spotlight
The Journey started in Chengdu, a city of millions in central China. “There, students from the University of Electronic Science & Technology were waiting for us”, says Enrico. “They had prepared a complete welcome programme, including a hotpot as an introduction to spicy Sichuan cuisine. In Chengdu, we visited Beijing Oriental Technologies, a manufacturer of screens in all shapes and sizes: paper thin, bendable, transparent, you name it.” “The eye-catchers in Chengdu were undoubtedly the 'charming' residents of the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.”
The next destination was Xi'an, the ancient imperial capital. There, the group was hosted by the students of Xidian University of Technology. Highlights in Xi’an included visiting the famous Terracotta Army of China's first emperor Qin Shi Huong, climbing the sacred Hua Mountain and a 14km lap of Xi'an by bicycle on the historic city wall.
Partner university
“The superfast train then took us to Shanghai, the metropolis with the most impressive skyline, the tallest buildings, the busiest shopping streets and the best dumplings. We were guests on the campus of East China University of Science and Technology”, Marta continued. “In the busy cultural programme, there was just room for a visit to SAIC Motor, a leading carmaker in China but also manufacturer and auto parts and mobility service provider.”
The tour ended in Beijing. There, the students stayed at the campus of Beijing Jiaotong University, one of Group T Campus' first partner universities in China. Between cultural highlights like the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China and the Temple of Heaven, there was still time for an Acrobatic show and a visit to Huiying Medical Technology. This is a high-tech company specialising in computer vision, deep learning technology and AI medical imaging. Enrico still reflects nostalgically on the last evening: “In a golden room, with a round table and automatic lazy Suzan and being served by robots was surely a fitting last meal and the best food we had.”
Bond
“An experience like the China Journey Project cannot be captured in a few words or sentences”, Marta believes. “It can best be compared to a mosaic or a kaleidoscope, constantly changing images, impressions, smells, colours and feelings. The most striking fact is this: this journey has changed us. We got to know not only China but also – and most importantly – each other: our Flemish and international fellow students, our supervisors and our campus chair. The experiences we share have forged a special bond that transcends time and space. Now I understand why the participants of the previous editions just can't stop talking about their maiden trip to China.”
Hilde Lauwereys
