What changed
Guangxi Minzu University took 26 international students from eight countries to Qinzhou on November 12 for a program linking the Pinglu Canal, local history and Qinzhou Nixing pottery.
The students visited the Madao hub, passed through Longmen Bridge, viewed Qinzhou Port, toured historic sites and tried pottery-making techniques including shaping, carving and clay sculpture.
Why it matters
The visit put two very different kinds of development in the same frame: a major canal intended to connect inland routes with the sea, and a pottery tradition that has lasted more than 1,000 years. That combination gave the students a firsthand look at how Qinzhou presents modern infrastructure and cultural inheritance as parts of one local story.
The program also matters as an exercise in people-to-people exchange. Participants came from Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia and Tanzania, and the university said it would continue expanding its China-understanding program. The strongest lesson may be practical: a canal can be observed from a bridge, but heritage is learned with both hands in the clay.
Whether the experience changes participants’ views or leads to later cooperation remains unknown. For now, its concrete result is narrower but clear: 26 students encountered Qinzhou through its waterways, historic streets and working craft traditions rather than through a single account of the city.
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