Recently, the 5th Cross-lingual Chanting Assembly of Confucian Classics has come to a successful conclusion. The entry submitted by the International College of our university stood out from more than 31,000 entries worldwide. ASKRI CHAIMA, an international student from Tunisia, and SAMIULLAH ARTOZH, an international student from Afghanistan, won the National Second Prize and Shandong Provincial First Prize in the International Adult Performance Category with their work Filial Piety Connects East and West — International Students’ Search for Confucian Culture in Binzhou. They presented an outstanding example of cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and foreign countries.

This event was co-hosted by Nishan World Confucianism Center, China Confucius Foundation, Shandong Provincial Department of Education, Shandong People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Administrative Committee of China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone. Since its official launch in December 2025, it has attracted more than 60,000 lovers of Chinese culture from over 60 countries including China, the United States, Russia, Japan and South Korea. Contestants used 14 languages to carry forward classics through recitation and connect the past and present. They interpreted Chinese cultural heritage with diverse performances and built a bridge for civilizational dialogue across mountains and seas.

The award-winning work centers on the Confucian culture of filial piety and features bold innovation. It skillfully combines classic recitation with Lü Opera, a local opera of Binzhou. The international students visited Boxing Lü Opera Troupe in Binzhou, listened in person to the opera excerpt Sage Tower about passing down filial piety and experienced the charm of local opera. Adopting a progressive three-part structure of “hearing about filial piety — performing rituals — understanding filial piety”, the work vividly expresses the shared resonance that everyone has filial hearts, which holds true in ancient and modern times, in the East and the West. It allows Confucian classics to shine anew nourished by Binzhou’s local culture.

Thanks to the award from this competition, Wu Yuan, an international student from our college, was invited to the Outstanding Participants Study Camp of the 5th Cross-lingual Chanting Assembly of Confucian Classics held in Qufu, Shandong from August 26 to 28. During the study camp, the students traveled to Qufu, the birthplace of Confucian culture. They visited cultural sites including the Confucian Temple, the Confucian Mansion and the Confucius Museum to immerse themselves in the spiritual core of Confucian culture. From reciting classics to tracing cultural origins on site, overseas students understood Confucianism through field trips, deepened their recognition of China’s fine traditional culture and facilitated cross-lingual communication of Confucian classics.

Civilizations gain diversity through exchanges, and cultures become enriched through mutual learning. The International College of Binzhou University of Vocational Technology will always uphold the open and inclusive philosophy of talent cultivation. It nurtures minds with classics and connects the world through culture, contributing Binzhou Vocational University’s strength to cultivating more international youth who know, befriend and love China and promoting the international communication of Chinese culture.