"The English name of Yung Wing's son is also Morrison. This is so amazing! I've never met anyone else with Morrison as their given name rather than their surname," said Morrison Anthony Cleaver, a British international student from Yenching Academy of Peking University, pointing at a message written by Yung Wing to his son Morrison Brown Yung in a display case at Zhuhai Museum on June 13. In fact, Yung Wing named his son this way to commemorate Morrison School where he once studied. This coincidence that has spanned over a century and crossed oceans and continents deeply impressed the international student Morrison at this moment. "Hello, Yung Wing! I share the same name as your son!"
From June 12 to 13, recommended by the Office of Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR, China-United States Exchange Foundation led a delegation from Yenching Academy of Peking University on a visit to Zhuhai. Students from countries and regions including the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the UAE experienced Zhuhai's urban vitality firsthand and learned about the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Pleasant surprises like Morrison's unfolded at every turn.
Visit School of Future Design, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai
On the morning of the 12th, the delegation departed from Hong Kong and arrived in Zhuhai via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. During their two-day stay, the delegation visited the School of Future Design and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop at Beijing Normal University's Zhuhai Campus. There, they watched a shadow puppet show and tried paper-cutting with local university students. They also toured Zhuhai Planning Exhibition Hall and Zhuhai Museum, exploring the city's cultural legacy that spans millennia—from the Neolithic Age to its modern achievements since becoming a special economic zone. Visits to the Zhuhai Aerospace Land and 4DAGE offered insights into China's aerospace industry and the contributions of Zhuhai enterprises in fields like VR and AI.
Paper-cutting experience at the Research and Development Center for ICH of Beijing Normal University
"I've seen shadow puppet shows before, as we have a large Chinese community in Seattle. But in Zhuhai, it was my first time getting hands-on experience and actually using the puppets to tell a story." Wen Imara So Eckelberg marveled at the intricate patterns and colors of the puppets, adding that she was deeply moved by seeing young people her age dedicated to passing down this intangible cultural heritage.
At Zhuhai Planning Exhibition Hall, Elijah Karshner, a mixed Chinese and American descent, marveled at Zhuhai's rapid development. "A hundred years ago, it was a small wharf and fishing village, and now great changes have taken place here. The extensive railways, cutting-edge technologies and everything, are astonishing," he said.
Hailing from the US, Mira Ann Vance expressed strong interest in VR applications for cultural tourism. At 4DAGE, she learned that VR immersive displays for many museums originate from Zhuhai, and that VR plays a significant role in urban safety and cultural relic preservation. "VR exhibitions are a fantastic solution for people unable to visit sites or museums in person. Promoting this technology is a meaningful endeavor," she said.
Visit Zhuhai Aerospace Land
Vice Dean of Yenching Academy of Peking University Fan Shiming introduced that the Academy is established to cultivate global future leaders who 'understand China and contribute to the world'. Since its founding in 2014, it has enrolled graduate students from 390 renowned universities in 85 countries and regions. "Field research across China is a vital part of our student' education. One can only truly understand China by actually standing on its land. This visit to Zhuhai reveals that it's not just a Special Economic Zone in the textbook; it's also the hometown of Yung Wing (the Father of Chinese Overseas Students), and it boasts remarkable stories, technological achievements, and promising development prospects," he said.
Source | Zhuhai Foreign Affairs Office
