"During the Chinese Tomb-Sweeping Festival when the school was on holiday, I stayed in the dormitory to review because I have to take the HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) next week. I hope I can pass it in one go." The one who can fluently speak this Chinese sentence is an Indonesian named ROBY MG (WANG Luobi).

WANG Luobi is an employee of the well-known Wenzhou enterprise Tsingshan Industry in Indonesia. He was selected to participate in the "Tsingshan Class" at Wenzhou University and traveled for thousands of kilometers from Indonesia to Wenzhou for nearly six months of intensive training. For him, who has never studied abroad, the learning and life during his stay in Wenzhou are bound to become precious memories that he will never forget.

Excellent Work Performance Leads to Participation in the "Tsingshan Class"

This year, at the age of 32, WANG Luobi works in gas management at the Tsingshan Industrial Park of Tsingshan Holding Group's Yongqing Group in Indonesia. He can experience this special overseas study life thanks to the "Tsingshan Class" jointly established by Wenzhou University and Tsingshan Industry.

The "Tsingshan Class" was established in 2023, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of both the Belt and Road Initiative and the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Indonesia. Tsingshan Industry is a leading enterprise in the stainless steel industry and has been listed on the Fortune Global 500 list for five consecutive years. It has production bases in several provinces and cities in China, such as Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong, as well as layouts in overseas markets such as Indonesia. Leveraging its strengths in Chinese language teaching and education for international students, Wenzhou University's College of International Education actively reached out to Tsingshan Industry and signed a strategic cooperation agreement to jointly "incubate" the "Tsingshan Class" at Wenzhou University.

"Tsingshan Class" provides international Chinese education with "Chinese + professional" training for overseas employees of Tsingshan Industry. It aims to cultivate a group of high-quality talents who "understand China, speak Chinese, are good at management, and specialize in professions." The students in this class are Indonesian employees from various positions in the Tsingshan Industrial Park of Yongqing Group in Indonesia. One of the important selection criteria is that participants should have excellent daily performance at work or have become key personnel in the company.

"The main purpose of the 'Tsingshan Class' is to help the company to cultivate the Chinese language ability and cross-cultural communication skills of its overseas employees." SONG Zhanmei, Dean of Wenzhou University's College of International Education, explained. The "Tsingshan Class" also guides overseas employees to perceive the development of China through education on China's national conditions, enhances their understanding of China and their enterprise, comprehensively and objectively understands the national conditions and corporate culture of China, thereby enhancing the sense of belonging of overseas employees to the enterprise and increasing job cohesion.

Tsingshan Industry is full of expectations for the cooperative education model of the "Tsingshan Class." LYU Haidang, Assistant to the President of the Tsingshan Industrial Park in Indonesia, said that comprehensively improving the cross-cultural communication skills, management capabilities, and Chinese language proficiency of overseas employees is a project of far-reaching significance and is imperative. He hopes that through the cooperation in building the "Tsingshan Class," a bridge can be established between the school and the enterprise, advancing high-quality development for both parties.

Learning about Cultural Heritage During Leisure Time

In September 2023, the first batch of 48 Indonesian students of the "Tsingshan Class" gathered in Chashan Town, Wenzhou, with excitement and anticipation, embarking on more than four months of training life. To adapt to the training goals of the "Tsingshan Class," the College of International Education of Wenzhou University recruited a team of outstanding teachers and managers, customized training programs and curriculum systems, and developed courses such as "Vocabulary of the 'Tsingshan Class'" and "Practical Management of Production-oriented Enterprises."

In-class learning is just one of the regular teaching methods of the "Tsingshan Class." Using the "East Journey" cultural activity of the College of International Education at Wenzhou University as a platform, the "Tsingshan Class" organized students to visit and learn from places such as the "City Brain" of Wenzhou, the Wenzhou Museum, the Tsingshan Group headquarters, Chint Electric, and People's Electric. At the same time, they conducted activities such as calligraphy and experiencing Wenzhou's intangible cultural heritage to let students truly experience real China, dynamic Wenzhou, and personally experience the tremendous leap from "Made in China" to "Intelligent Manufacturing in China." It is worth mentioning that shortly after the first batch of Indonesian students arrived in Wenzhou for over two weeks, coinciding with the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, Wenzhou University organized a Mid-Autumn cultural experience event, allowing the 48 Indonesian students to gather with students of Wenzhou University to celebrate the festival together.

To ensure the high-quality implementation of the "Tsingshan Class" project, the  College of International Education at Wenzhou University adopted a service-oriented tracking teaching model throughout the entire process, accurately grasping the situation of each student and providing guidance and assistance to students in difficulties encountered in learning and life in a timely manner. The first batch of "Tsingshan Class" students completed their learning tasks satisfactorily in January of this year, returning with great memories. Soon after, the second batch of 69 students set foot on the land of Wenzhou.

WANG Luobi is one of the students in the second batch. He recently visited the embroidery museum of Wenzhou University to learn about the history, craft characteristics, and basic skills of embroidery, and even attempted embroidery with hair under the guidance of professional teachers. "Chinese people are amazing. I didn't expect that hair could also be used for embroidery. I think these works are all works of art, full of charm," WANG Luobi said.

Integration Builds a New Ecology of International Cooperation

More than 100 foreign students have come to Wenzhou for further studies in two consecutive sessions of the "Tsingshan Class." What achievements has the cooperative education model of the "Tsingshan Class" achieved? And what thoughts and inspirations has it brought?

The speech by the first batch of students, Andrew, at the graduation ceremony is a glimpse of this. He shared, "This study has not only improved the Chinese proficiency of the students but also allowed us to feel the unique charm of Chinese traditional culture and personally experience the magnificent rivers and mountains and beautiful scenery of China." When finishing the first month of studying in Wenzhou, WANG Luobi posted a personal photo holding paintings and calligraphy works on his WeChat Moments, with the caption "I love Tsingshan, I love Wenzhou University," expressing gratitude.

In the view of DONG Jinjun, General Manager of the Indonesian Tsingshan Industrial Park Construction Department, the cooperative education model of the "Tsingshan Class" is an important measure for Tsingshan Group to implement training and improvement for overseas employees, and it is a key content for promoting the training of management talents for overseas territories. "The 'Tsingshan Class' has profound significance for cultural exchanges between China and Indonesia and the improvement of the quality of overseas employees. I hope that the students will make good use of the learning opportunities, improve their management and language skills through classroom learning, extracurricular exchanges, and corporate visits, and perceive the spirit of the Tsingshan culture with heart." DONG Jinjun said.

The establishment of the "Tsingshan Class" is just a microcosm of Wenzhou University strengthening international cooperation and serving the local economy. In recent years, the university has fully tapped into the potential of serving national development and opening up to the outside world, closely connected with local industries and major needs, and assisted Wenzhou enterprises in developing internationalization. In the "New Year's Greetings for 2024 from Wenzhou University," it is mentioned that Wenzhou University insists on openness and integration, continuously builds a new ecology of international cooperation, successfully approved and enrolled the first batch of students for the undergraduate education project in mechanical engineering jointly held with Volgograd State Technical University of Russia, the Italian campus approved by Zhejiang Province as the "Belt and Road" Silk Road College, opened the "Tsingshan Class" to cultivate customized international talents for enterprises, and established the first Overseas Chinese Cultural Museum among universities, dedicated to telling good Chinese stories, spreading positive Chinese voices, and presenting a real and comprehensive China to the world.