International students wear traditional Chinese costumes for opera performance at the eleventh Zhejiang Provincial International Student Talent Show in Hangzhou on Dec 8. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Nearly 220 international students gathered in Zhejiang on the evening of Dec 8 and gave various Chinese traditional arts performances at an annual event for cultural exchange in the province.

Named "Dream Trip in Zhejiang", the cultural event provided an opportunity for people from over 50 countries to show off their talent in singing and dancing, opera, tea art and other Chinese traditional art forms, while expressing their love for the Chinese culture. Most of the foreign performers were students from 13 universities and colleges in Zhejiang such as Zhejiang University, China Academy of Art and Zhejiang University of Technology.

An international student from Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, named Jin Na, took part in the exchange activity for the second time. "We performed a music opera. Though some Chinese words are difficult to pronounce, it won't stop us from enjoying the Chinese culture," Jin said.

A graduate student from Zhejiang University, Wang Jie and his friends gave a Chinese opera performance. "Learning opera is quite difficult as it concerns not only words but also melody," Wang said. He promised that after graduation, he will bring Chinese opera back to his home and introduce the art to his family and friends.

With the development of Zhejiang's higher education, the number of international students in the province has continuously increased. The data show that this year there are more than 34,000 people from abroad studying in Zhejiang, accounting for 3.2 percent of the total students.

The initial goals of the "Dream Trip in Zhejiang" event were to enrich the spiritual world of overseas students and to show them Zhejiang's most distinct arts. "Allowing these students to be folk envoys for cultural exchanges between China and other countries is the ultimate purpose of the talent show," said Shu Peidong, director of the foreign affairs office at the province's education department.

Shu extended his hope that more and more international students in Zhejiang could savor the charm of the Chinese culture from this event and promote it in their hometowns.