On Mar 26, the Award Ceremony of the 4th ASEAN-China Friendship and Cooperation Short Video Contest was held in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. “Chinese Learning Changes Life”, submitted by the New Media Studio of Huaqiao University (HQU) “Voice of Overseas Students”, won the Excellence Award (Section A). HQU, together with National Television of Khampuchea (TVK), was awarded Organizational Excellence Award.

Among others, Chen Jiwa, Executive Director of China Economic and Social Council (CESC) and former President of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Du Zhanyuan, Director General of China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, Chen Yijun, a standing committee member of the CPC Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee, Hou Yanqi, Ambassador of China to ASEAN, Wei Xin, counsellor of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of the PRC, Yan Ni, Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Department of the Chinese National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), H.E. Somphone Sichaleune, Lao Ambassador to China, Huot Kheang Veng, Secretary of State, Ministry of Information of Cambodia, Ekkaphab Phanthavong, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN, attended the ceremony.

The year 2024 is the ASEAN-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Du expressed that the Contest takes root in the friendship between China and ASEAN people, and has emerged as a force in the building of a China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Ambassador Hou spoke highly of HQU’s work, “It is touching that Thai Chinese teachers have changed their destiny by teaching Chinese and also passed on this change ”

At the award ceremony, Indonesian students Alexander and Filipino student Jhon Kenneth Reynaldo from “Voice of Overseas Students” were invited to the ASEAN-China Short Video Creators Roundtable to share their experience on short video creation.

Alexander is a student of Chinese descent, “I’ve fulfilled my dream by studying at my ancestral country. I hope young people from all over the world could know more about China, and even like this country through my short videos.” Reynaldo shared his connection with the country, “I hope I can not only tell China’s stories, but become a bridge between cultures, practise the Global Civilization Initiative and contribute to China-ASEAN cultural exchanges, friendship and cooperation.”

Themed as “Connection for a Better Future”, the contest has collected a total of 21,243 videos from China and ASEAN countries since its launch last September, and only 16 entries have been selected to Section A and awarded on site. Relevant topics have been displayed on new social media platforms at home and abroad nearly 25 million times and reached over 6 million ASEAN audiences.

HQU Receives Organizational Excellence Award

Representatives of “Voice of Overseas Students” Attending the Roundtable (1st and 2nd from the right)

(Editor: Wei Linying)