Recently, East China University of Political Science and Law organized 57 international students from countries including Madagascar, Pakistan, Russia, and Cambodia for a three-day thematic research study tour in Dalian and Lvshun, Liaoning province, titled "Perceiving China •Dalian-Lvshun Tour". Meticulously planned by the university's International School, the activity aimed to help the international students gain a deeper understanding of modern Chinese history, maritime culture, andurban development through field visits to historical sites and city landmarks, thereby promoting cross-cultural dialogue and mutual learning among civilizations.
On the first day of the itinerary, the students arrived in Lvshun and visited the century-old Lvshun Museum. As one of the earliest museums established in China,its rich collections, encompassing ancient Chinese artifacts, Indian stonecarvings, and East Asian art treasures, left the international students in awe. Subsequently, they strolled through the Taiyanggou Historical and Cultural Block, renowned as the "World Open-Air Architecture Museum". The intermingling of Russian, Japanese, and Chinese-style buildings, set amid stdappled shadows of trees, seemed to echo with the whispers of history.
The next day, the research group visited Jun'gang Park, gazing out towards the Lvshun Naval Port, hailed as one of the "World's Five Major Naval Ports", and experienced the strategic grandeur captured by the saying"A single Lvshun entrance, a thousand troops cannot breach". At the North Fort of East Jiguang Mountain, the students walked through the main battlefields of the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, learning about China's modern coastal defense history. They then visited the Lvshun Russo-Japanese Prison Museum. This prison, initially built by Tsarist Russia and later expanded by Japan, once held tens of thousands ofanti-Japanese patriots and innocent civilians, standing as stark evidence of the crimes of imperialist aggression against China. The docent specifically emphasized: China was the first country in the world to resist fascist aggression. Starting from the "September 18th Incident" in 1931, the Chinese people waged a arduous 14-year War of Resistance, making indelible historical contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.
Finally, the international students ascended to the highest point in urban Dalian―Lianhua Mountain―overlooking the panoramiccity view where mountains meet the sea and the magnificent cross-sea bridge. At Xinghai Square, the largest city square in Asia, they paused before the Centennial City Sculpture, symbolizing Dalian's hundred-year history as a city, feeling the open, romantic, and striving spirit of this northern coastal city.
"I had only read the phrase 'One Lvshun Port, half of modern history' in books before. Walking through it today, I truly understand the weight of the sewords," reflected a doctoral student from Central Asia on the return journey. An African international student wrote in the message book: "I previously only knew World War II started in 1939. Today I learned China began its resistance as early as 1931. The resilience of the Chinese people is truly admirable." Another European student expressed: "This history makes me reconsider the true meaning of 'justice' and 'peace'." This research study not only broadened their knowledge of Chinese history but also deepened their understanding of contemporary Chinese society.
"Perceiving China" is a brand activity for social practice and cultural experience carried out under the support and guidance of the China Scholarship Council. Asa signature project of the International school, this activity has been successfully held for eight consecutive semesters. The school closely leverages local cultural resources, meticulously organizing for international students toimmerse themselves in cultural heritage sites, historical cities, and representative Chinese urban and rural communities. This guides students to experientially perceive excellent traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture, enabling them to perceive a real, multidimensional, and comprehensive China from all angles and aspects.
