The International Summer School Programme Jointly Organised by IBSS successfully concluded

On July 19th, the grand closing ceremony of the summer school programme "Doing Business in Changing China", jointly organised by International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) and the Department of China Studies at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, was held. Representatives from IBSS and the Department of Chinese Studies, along with over 70 students from around the world, celebrated this significant moment together.

In a brief recap video, the graduation ceremony officially began. As the host of the event, Huaiyuan Zhang, the Summer School Academic Lead, expressed his appreciation for the students' enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. He said, 'Congratulations on completing these two weeks of 'tests'. Whether in class or during activities, you have all integrated into the summer school programme in your unique way, and I believe you have all gained something from it.

Mr Huaiyuan Zhang

Professor Ewout van der Schaft, Associate Dean for Internationalisation at IBSS, and Dr Emily Williams, Head of Department of China Studies, delivered speeches on behalf of IBSS and China Studies at the closing ceremony. Ewout expressed his gratitude to the faculty and staff of IBSS, China Studies and the Chinese Language teachers from the Language Center for their countless efforts in this project. He also praised the students for demonstrating teamwork spirit and academic excellence, believing that this valuable experience would be an important asset for their future development. Emily stated that from the initial meeting with the students to participating in their final group presentations today, she was deeply impressed by their progress. "This is not just a two-week summer school programme; it has established deep friendships and cross-cultural connections through teamwork, mutual assistance, and collective growth."

Professor Ewout van der Schaft

Dr Emily Williams

The subsequent graduation certificate award ceremony and a series of awards presentations pushed the atmosphere of the graduation ceremony to its climax. The programme awarded three individual awards: 'China Insights', 'Investor's Choice', and 'Employer's Favourite', as well as three comprehensive awards: 'Summer Star - Bronze Award', 'Summer Star - Silver Award', and 'Summer Star - Gold Award'.

At the end of the event, Professor Ewout van der Schaft once again congratulated the students and expressed his appreciation for the project team. He specifically thanked Dr Nimesh Salike, Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching at IBSS, for his extensive work in shaping and preparing the summer school. He also acknowledged the Work Placement, Employability and Career Development (WEC) Team consisting of Yidan Liu, Kaiqin Jiang, Yixin Zhang, Hailu Hou, Yahong Cai and Bingxuan Zhou and the Academic Lead Huaiyuan Zhang for their contributions. Additionally, he recognized the IBSS and China Studies and Language Center faculty members who participated in teaching and activities, as well as the comprehensive support provided by X-Global, student volunteers, and IBSS Marketing Team. It takes many brains and hands to make a comprehensive programme like this a success.

Anh (Irene) Thu, a student from Vietnam, who comes from a business background, is now working as a marketeer. The thriving development of the Chinese market has inspired her to come and experience it first-hand. This learning journey is full of inspiration and broadens her horizons. There are significant similarities between Chinese culture and Vietnamese culture, and what she learns here will be beneficial for her future work and motivate her to seek job opportunities related to China. Paola Amato is a student from Italy, also interested in China. She said: “My understanding of China has both deepened and expanded through this programme. Now I can add on a wide range of elements related to China to my previously built knowledge. Although there are differences between China and European countries, respect and understanding will overcome the difficulties and the best way to understand is to be here. To experience first-hand China its continuous drive for for innovation I recommend everyone to participate in programmes like this one.”