An opening ceremony for foreign freshmen in Xi’an Jiaotong University was held on Oct 10 in Shaanxi province in Northwest China.

A total of 662 new enrolling foreign students from 88 countries and regions including the United States, Italy, Russia, Pakistan and Kazakhstan were welcomed at the ceremony.

More and more academic exchanges and education cooperation have been promoted between Xi'an Jiaotong University and other world-class universities in recent years that have attracted foreign students to study in Xi’an.

The Silk Road University Alliance, a platform for college students to exchange ideas and for universities to cooperate on talent cultivation and academic study, also helped promote the university to the world.

At the welcoming ceremony, Xi Guang, vice president of Xi'an Jiao Tong University, said at present, there are more than 2,700 foreign students studying at Xi'an Jiaotong University.

Student representatives Elena, an international student from Pakistan, and Tima from Kazakhstan expressed the love they hold for the university and showed gratitude for offering them opportunities to come to China, gain advanced knowledge and experience Chinese culture.

They also said that they would study hard and realize their own value, and wished to become ambassadors of friendship between their nations and China.

Opening ceremony for foreign freshmen in Xi’an Jiaotong University is held on Oct 10. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]