The Party Branch and Youth League Committee of Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) led a team of 20 GTers to visit the Donghu Community in Haojiang District recently, with the purpose of enhancing collaboration between the university and local communities.

Surrounded by mountains and sea, Donghu Village owns a profound history of 800 years and has been hailed as one of the “most beautiful overseas Chinese villages” in Shantou. Recently, Li Xi, Secretary of the Communist Party of China's Guangdong Provincial Committee, and Wang Weizhong, Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party of China's Guangdong Provincial Committee and Governor of Guangdong, also visited the Community during their investigation in Shantou. They affirmed the Community's Party building and practices of developing tourism which are based on local advantages as well as realizing rural vitalization.

Wandering across the old banyans, ancient alleys, and historical monuments, Lin Zhao, the Party Committee of Donghu Community member, led the GTIIT team to the Yan Ancestral Shrine, Donghu Museum, as well as the chrysanthemum field. While the team was immersed in an “overseas Chinese culture”, Lin introduced the Village's development, “In recent years, we concentrated on creating a unique 'community card' – an integration of Chaoshan and overseas Chinese culture, which has also attracted more and more overseas Chinese back to their hometown.”

“This East-meets-West building, donated by the two brothers, Lin Yuede and Lin Xide, in 1948 is now the Donghu Community Museum of Overseas Chinese.” The team saw the Seaman’s Identities collected in the Museum and learned the story of the Village being the “Home of Seaman”.

“The village has 'three treasures': chrysanthemum, arrowroot balls, and carbon-roasted seaweed, based on which we develop our own rural vitalization way – 'tourism + agriculture'.” The Village held the first Donghu Chrysanthemum Festival last year, and the beautiful blossoms have attracted a large number of visitors.

Students learned a lot from the activity. “Donghu Community shows a new look of a new era. The structure had been undergoing renovations, the tourism had been well developed, and the level of education had been raised. In this lively and jubilant atmosphere, I am proud of being a youth in this new era,” said Zhang Boyan, a student from cohort 2022.

The activity makes a good start for collaboration of Party building between the university and the Community. GTIIT would give full play to the role of the cooperation between the Party and Youth League Committee, and continue to explore the joint construction of the Party brand with the Community.

Text/Photos: GTIIT Youth League Committee