China Visit of Apeejay Students

Jalandhar, February 3, 2015: Sixteen students of Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar along with Dr.Manisha Sharma visited China for a two week collaborative programme with National University of Singapore for NUSRI Winter Programme 2015 where they had an amazing and great learning experience.  They learned not only about their culture, religion and life styles but also gained insight into their business strategies, entrepreneurship, Suzhou Wu Culture. They visited their traditional gardens, temples which helped them to learn about Chinese beliefs. They visited some of the landmark industries of Suzhou like Silk factory, Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute, ASUS and most importantly Suzhou-Singapore Industrial Park(SIP). The visit to SIP was the highlight of the trip as the students were spell-bound to see the pace of development of China and use of latest technologies to create a new and hi-tech city within Suzhou. They also got a chance to visit Shanghai, the hub of trading. Along with attending knowledgeable lectures, the students also did some fun activities like learning Chinese paper cutting, visiting their traditional shopping streets, visiting lakes, learning their language etc. The students learnt how the Chinese way of business is totally different from Indian style of business. Chinese believed in “Guanxi” i.e business based on relational ships which is totally different from Indian way of doing business. During the valedictory programme the students proudly presented items that gave an insight into Indian culture and tradition. They performed traditional dance ‘Bhangra’ which was loved by everyone. Students also sang some traditional songs, and national anthem. The NUSRI faculty found the Indian group to be the best amongst groups from other countries. Principal, Dr Sucharita congratulated the team and said that overall, the students had an extraordinary learning experience that familiarized them about the Chinese culture. It was a great cultural exchange programme and a fruitful visit.