In June 2026, the spring semester at Northwestern Polytechnical University Kazakhstan Branch Campus (the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus) drew to a successful close. Following nearly four months of focused study and sustained engagement, students made significant progress not only in their command of Chinese and understanding of Chinese culture, but also in becoming active ambassadors for intercultural exchange through learning and hands-on practice.
Teaching Continues to Advance · Competition Inspires Learning
This semester, instruction at both the undergraduate and graduate levels was further refined and made more targeted. Offered to undergraduates for the first time, the Chinese Language II course focused on breaking down the structure of Chinese characters and developing spoken Chinese through situational exercises. The course directly addressed common challenges in character recognition and practical language use while helping students develop effective and systematic approaches to learning. Graduate-level courses placed greater emphasis on practical application and intercultural interaction. Students were encouraged to communicate actively with Chinese faculty members and students, preparing them in advance for their future studies and daily life in China.
As enthusiasm for learning continued to grow, the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus organized a Chinese Character Competition. Comprising three stages: a written knowledge test, brush calligraphy, and hard-pen calligraphy: the competition provided a comprehensive assessment of students’ learning outcomes. Through competition, the event sought both to enhance instruction and to motivate learning.
Enduring Artistic Resonance · Learning Through Experience
This semester, the cultural curriculum underwent a structural redesign and introduced several new modules, including the interpretation of oracle-bone inscriptions, movable-type printing featuring classical Chinese poetry, and the reading of illustrated books on Chinese mythology. These activities made ancient scripts, stories, and legends tangible and accessible to students.
Building on previous calligraphy activities, the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus also introduced Chinese painting workshops. Students practiced both xieyi, or freehand brushwork, and gongbi, the meticulous style of traditional Chinese painting, gaining a deeper appreciation of Chinese aesthetics.
The hanfu program expanded beyond a single style to present a historical progression of Chinese dress, ranging from robes of the Warring States period and the distinctive aesthetics of the Wei and Jin dynasties to Song-dynasty commoners’ attire and the modern qipao.
The martial arts program centered on Five-Step Fist routine, complemented by standing-posture training and Baduanjin exercises as a warm-up, followed by a fitness dragon dance for relaxation. Together, these activities achieved a balance between physical exercise and engaging cultural experience.
Revitalizing Festival Traditions · Connecting Past and Present
Traditional festivals embody a rich variety of Chinese cultural practices and social customs, providing international students with an important window into China. This semester, the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus used seasonal festivals and customs as the themes for a series of special courses and activities.
In early March, while the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year still lingered, faculty and student representatives attended the “Welcoming Spring with Warmth, Playing a Melody of China–Kazakhstan Friendship” New Year Concert. Chinese qipao featuring blue-and-white porcelain patterns complemented traditional blue-and-white Kazakhstani dress, while the sounds of the guzheng and pipa blended with those of the dombra. Through music and dress, students experienced firsthand the appeal of dialogue between civilizations.
In the subsequent programs devoted to the Qingming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the traditional Chinese solar terms, faculty members and students explored the connections between China’s past and present. Through cultural lectures, craft workshops, interactive games, and other activities, they experienced the warmth and vitality of contemporary “New Chinese-style” aesthetics in the rich and varied world of Chinese cultural life.
Peer Guidance Leads the Way · Shared Spaces Empower Growth
This semester, the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus launched a peer-support program. Bolysbek Murat Yerzhanuly, a graduate of its inaugural master’s cohort and now a doctoral student, was invited to give a presentation titled “China Through the Eyes of a Kazakhstani Student.” His personal experiences and authentic stories strongly resonated with the audience.
The NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus also transformed students’ extracurricular time into opportunities for intercultural engagement. Faculty members and students worked together to establish a “Culture Corner” ,take on a cultural relic restoration challenge, assemble traditional Luban locks, and create class albums. These activities fostered a vibrant atmosphere infused with Chinese cultural elements across the campus.
Digital Connections Build Momentum · Wider Communication Amplifies Impact
Students’ enthusiasm for sharing their experiences independently continued to grow throughout the semester. More than 600 posts were published through class social media platforms and students’ personal accounts, receiving over 1,500 likes and achieving a repost rate of 32 percent. By documenting their experiences from a first-person perspective, students brought the vitality of the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus to a wider audience. In doing so, they completed a meaningful transition from participants in cultural activities to proactive communicators of culture.
Looking back on the spring semester of 2026, China–Kazakhstan relations are entering a new “golden 30 years,” while educational cooperation between the two countries continues to deepen and produce tangible results. With language as its vessel and culture as its oars, the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus will continue to build an accessible and immersive bridge to the Chinese language for young people in Kazakhstan. It will further strengthen its capacity to cultivate young ambassadors who understand China, feel a strong affinity toward China, and help connect China and Kazakhstan. Through these efforts, the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus will contribute NPU’s expertise and commitment to advancing China’s strategy of opening education to the world and strengthening people-to-people bonds under the Belt and Road Initiative.
(Text and Photos: Li Xiangning, Li Dan, Li Xue
Editor: Gao Xiaoqian
Source: International College
First Reviewer: Li Jing
Second Reviewer: Li Dan
Final Reviewer: Li Ziwei
Translators: Yang Runze; Mei Leyun)
