From October 17 to 19, 2018, the 5th Annual Conference of Taihu World Cultural Forum themed “Dialogue of Civilization: Building a Community of Shared Future for Mankind” was held at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. The Department of English and International Studies (DEIS) sent 32 undergraduate students as conference volunteers to receive foreign guests.

Taihu World Cultural Forum, a flagship cultural forum founded in 2008, is a Chinese NGO that promotes Chinese culture and serves as a platform for international nongovernment exchanges. Like Boao Forum for Asia, Tsinghua World Peace Forum and Guiyang Eco Forum Global, it is a major institutionalized forum for foreign affairs in China, which has wide influence and is attended by high-level Chinese and foreign guests.

DEIS gave full support to this volunteer service and selected student volunteers as liaisons for foreign guests, receiving foreign politicians, heads of international organizations, scholars, entrepreneurs, well-known media and other participants. During the forum, DEIS students  were responsible for tasks such as escort interpreting, pick-up and coordination, and they served on different occasions like opening ceremony, general assembly, plenary sessions and high-level dialogues, which enormously improved their oral English and ability in communication, coordination and foreign affairs.

In this event, the volunteers from DEIS have impressed foreign guests and the forum sponsor with their passion, compliance, dedication and care. With a strong willingness to serve and contribute, these volunteers represented the merits and bearing of CFAU students and were well recognized by foreign guests and the forum sponsor, who sent a letter of thanks to the Department of English and International Studies.