The School of International Education’s Opening Ceremonies were held in B1-106, on the morning of September 2, 2016,  at the Higher Education Mega Center campus which was vibrant with flowers and full of vitality. Over 400 international students from all over of the world joined the SIE family. Dean An Ran, Deputy Dean Liu Cheng, Hu Yongjian, Yang Haosong, together with Chinese teachers and staff attended the ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by Deputy Dean Yang Haosong.

The ceremony began with a speech by singing the University Song. Prof. An in which she warmly welcomed the international students, inviting them to be contributing members of SCUT. She then taught them their first lesson as freshmen. She enthusiastically introduced four Chinese characters: 学(Learn & Study), 和(Harmony), 规（Rules）,and 恩(Gratitude). She expounded upon the profound meaning of each character in hopes that the students might focus on their studies and giev some examples of excellent international students as their models.

She explained that harmony means getting along well with other students. She introduced a series of multi-cultural activities which have been held by SIE in recent years as a means of impressing upon the students the importance of showing respect and appreciation towards different countries and cultures. Rules means that our students ought to abide by the school’s rules and regulations otherwise they may be expelled and lose their chance to study in China. Dean An explained that gratitude means showing appreciation to parents, teachers, classmates, and friends, and thanking SCUT and China for providing a sound educational experience. She encouraged the students to grow in their understanding of China, tell interesting Chinese stories, and overall contribute to the friendly relationship between China and their own countries. Lastly, she expressed her sincere hope that the students should cherish the opportunity they have to study at SCUT and to make their upcoming school life a memory to be treasured their entire life.

Representative teacher Ms. Pei Xiaorong made a speech, encouraging the freshman to study hard.  Giovanni Giamello from Italy and Dinesh Chandra Panthy from Nepal also made speeches to thank the Chinese government and the university for providing them the opportunity to study here and promising to repay their respected teachers with excellent results.

After the speeches, Prof. An awarded ten scholarship student representatives with honorary certificates and affixed school badges upon them. SIE teachers then helped all the other students to put on their badges. This exercise strengthened their sense of belonging to SCUT and to create a warm international family atmosphere.

To welcome the new students, upperclassmen prepared wonderful performances including an energetic Ghanaian traditional dance and a romantic Chinese song sung by a Thai student. Applause and cheers made throughout the ceremony created a feeling of enthusiasm, warmth, and love among the SIE family.

During the following two weeks, SIE arranged informative orientation activities including safety and regulation education, a study introduction, tours of SCUT’s history museum and the campus to help the new students adapt to school life as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Time： 2016-09-03