In this golden October, nearly 120 members of 12 nationalities, from GT community, gathered together to visit the Shantou Industrial Museum and the Shantou Cultural Center, exploring industrial memories and cultural traditions of this city.

This event, jointly organized by Shantou Public Diplomacy Association, the Municipal Education Bureau, and Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), was aimed to enhance the understanding of Chaoshan culture among foreign nationals in Shantou and deepen civil exchanges.

Stepping into the Shantou Industrial Museum, the extraordinary journey of Shantou's industrial development over the past 160 years unfolded. Innovative artifacts, vivid images, and historical data series told the stories of Shantou's industries, shining with the glory and dreams of the older generation.

During the visit, the guide narrated in detail, and foreign friends listened attentively. The exhibition hall, filled with exclamations, became a window to the world, allowing people to get closer to Shantou.

The Cultural Center was also vibrant, with exquisite exhibits forming an "art feast" . Inheritors of intangible cultural heritage skillfully demonstrated their crafts and actively engaged in cultural exchanges. Visitors' perceptions of local culture were concretized into rich and warm experiences such as Teochew opera, paper cutting, and embroidery.

Amidst laughter and joy, young people wore "phoenix crowns"; a group of paper-cutting enthusiasts applauded thunderously as patterns took shape; children held seals with focused expressions. The cultural heritages, each with its unique charm, "bloomed" one after another, serving as bridges to generate associations and achieve cultural understanding.

At the end of the trip, Tareq Tarabeih, a tutor from GTIIT Chemistry Department, praised the event highly, "It was amazing. Today I had the chance to discover the Chinese tradition more a in an extended way." Alexandra Kantorowitz, an Israeli exchange student who had just arrived at GTIIT, tried wood carving for the first time, "it’s super fun and super interesting." She looked forward to more opportunities to perceive Shantou culture and create special memories of this city.

Text/Photos: GTIIT News & Public Affairs