A group of IFTM students led by IFTM Visiting Assistant Professor, Dr. Tuan Phong Ly (Jack), joined their counterparts from South China Normal University (SCNU) in Guangzhou and conducted an exchange tour in the capital of Guangdong Province.
This 3-day trip is a short-term programme of practical exchanges funded by the Ministry of Education’s Teacher-Student Exchange Programme between Hong Kong, Macao and Mainland Universities and Primary Schools (hereinafter referred to as the “Ten-Thousand People Programme”), hosted by the Department of International Exchange and Co-operation (Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs) of SCNU, and implemented by the School of Tourism Management. Comprising over 20 students, the excursion aimed at showcasing the culture and modernisation of Guangzhou. In an attempt to highlight the cultural quality, revitalisation and regeneration of the city, students and teachers were shown some of the most iconic sites of the city.
After the official commencement ceremony, the excursion participants visited Yong Qing Fang, the typically representative site that encapsulates Lingnan culture and the Xiguan atmosphere. With Lingnan being synonymous with Guangdong and Xiguan being a district in Guangdong, both culture and atmosphere are embodied in a wide array of elements, such as architecture, gastronomy, and language.
At Yong Qing Fang, the teachers and students had the opportunity to personally witness the childhood lifestyle of all-time Chinese film star and martial arts master Bruce Lee, as the icon’s native home is situated right within the collection of architecture. Moreover, they have also revisited the history of coppersmith and embroidery, which are both intangible cultural heritages of Guangzhou.
Following their visit to the historical part of the provincial capital, the teachers and students moved on to witness the contemporary districts of the city. They were taken to Grandview Mall, Parc Central, and Guangzhou K11 Art Mall to experience the innovative culture and lifestyle of Guangzhou. They have also gotten the chance to explore the organic integration of the arts, humanities, and nature.
Their visit also included famous tourist attractions such as Canton Tower, Guangdong Museum, Haixinsha Asia Games Park, and Guangzhou International Finance Center, which line up as the new central axis of Guangzhou.
These visits have provided students and teachers with the chance to understand the vivid interactions between the old and new parts of the provincial capital. In the meantime, the legacy of the traditional part that realises the modernised part has also inspired the students and teachers.
Dr. Ly has extraordinary feelings about this trip and an attachment to Guangzhou, for he revealed that he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Guangzhou 16 years ago. He was also satisfied to find the city so well developed within such a narrow timeframe. “After more than ten years, the city has developed in a great way with a lot of creative cultural tourism development projects, like the Yong Qing Fang, one of the best Old Community Revitalisation Projects I have seen recently,” he said, believing that the antique architecture will be able to bring different people together and be beneficial to all.
Discussing the advantages of this excursion, the academic had his counterparts at the SCNU to thank, for he found it inevitable to mention their “innovative ideas” that had brought so much intellectuality and excitement to the excursion. “Within a limited budget, they have shown our students how to make a fruitful and friendly exchange programme, full of passion,” Jack suggested. “At the same time, we can catch up with the latest development of Guangzhou in terms of culture, finance, and tourism.”
The group of teachers and students has also visited the Guangzhou campus of the University, where they had discussions and symposia on the conservation of Lingnan culture, complementary development of Greater Bay Area cities, cross-boundary innovative in-depth integration in culture and tourism, and the “Four New Themes” leading the economic development of the Greater Bay Area.
