During this new semester, we have welcomed in our university, new groups of international students coming from all around the world. Having arrived in China for the first time, they might have some difficulties in understanding the Chinese language, culture and customs. In the meantime, our Chinese students also have strong wishes to make friends with their foreign peers. In view of that, Global Education Centre launched the Language Partners Matching Program to get each international student a language partner. More than 200 Chinese students from different majors and grades actively signed up for this Language Partner Program. 
On March 27th, the very first meeting of future language partners was held on the lawn in front of the statue of Chairman Mao. Around 60 international students and 80 Chinese counterparts came and met their partners under the guidance of teachers. The initial shyness between Chinese students and foreign students soon melted and turned into enthusiasm. They friendly communicated with each other, talked about hobbies, cultural differences and so forth, and many Chinese students were even surprised at some foreign students’ fluent spoken Chinese.
Everyone was sharing his or her happiness with others on the lawn. The communication lasted more than an hour and ended up with the farewell after exchanging each other’s contact information.
This activity successfully enabled Chinese students and international students to get closer, and led them know more about each other’s culture, as well as it helped the international students to easily fit in China’s social environment. Through the concept of “Friendship without borders”, we believe that in the future, by their further contact with the language partner, they can gain much more from each other in friendship interaction.
