The officiating guests, representatives of the organisers and co-organisers of the Programme including President of IFT, Dr. Fanny Vong, and participating students took a group photo at the inauguration ceremony.
The “Tianjin Exchange Programme for Macao Undergraduate Students” 2018 was inaugurated at the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) on 4 June. The programme was organised by Committee for Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR. Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as Macao Foundation, and co-organised by IFT and College of Tourism and Service Management of Nankai University. The attending guests included Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Geng Hui Chang, Deputy Director of Committee for Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Zhang Yi, Deputy Secretary-General of Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Chen Sixi, Deputy Director of Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Wu Zhiliang, President of the Administrative Committee of Macao Foundation, members of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC, members of the National Committee of CPPCC and its Standing Committee, members of Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and its Standing Committee, representatives of IFT, Nankai University and other four Macao’s higher education institutions.
During the ceremony, Chairman Geng Hui Chang, Deputy Secretary-General Zhang Yi, President Wu Zhiliang, President of IFT, Dr. Fanny Vong and Dean Prof. Qiu Hanqin, College of Tourism and Service Management of Nankai University gave their remarks respectively.
Deputy Director Geng Hui Chang stated that the exchange programme has been successfully held for three years. More than 70 Macao students attended the programme to experience the geographical features and customs of the charming city of Tianjin, and the history, culture and the latest situation of our motherland through intensive classes, field trips, seminars and practical exercises.
Deputy Secretary-General Zhang Yi stated that both Macao and Tianjin are coastal cities located at the important parts of the “Belt and Road Initiative”. The two places have continuously been deepening exchanges and striving to expand cooperation in economic, commercial, cultural and educational exchanges and cooperation. Fruitful outcomes have been achieved in many fields and a new chapter has been opened up between the two places.President Wu stated in his remark that Macao Foundation has always been attaching a lot of importance to nurturing talent in Macao. Every year, Macao Foundation organises and coorganises various exchange and training activities to promote the growth of Macao’s talent. This exchange programme is one of the important events for talent cultivation. It is hoped that more talent can be nurtured for tourism and cultural industries of Macao through this programme, in order to better protect and revitalise Macao’s cultural heritage, as well as to increase the cultural elements of the city.
Prof. Qiu Hanqin said that the cooperative relationship between College of Tourism and Service Management of Nankai University and IFT has been long-established. Every year, regular exchange activities between faculty and students are arranged, and participants from the two places were benefited from the exchanges. Besides, a platform for joint researchbetween the two institutions was established so a deep and fruitful cooperation in tourism and service management education was taken place. This programme helps to strengthen the exchanges of youngstersin the two cities and open up more opportunities for cooperation between the two places in the areas of economy, trade, tourism, culture, and talent nurturing.
“Tianjin Exchange Programme for Macao Undergraduate Students” has been organised since 2015 under the initiative of Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The aim of this programme is to allow Macao’s undergraduate students to get to know the cultural heritage conservation and tourism development of Tianjin, in order to better understand the history and culture of their motherland, and further contributes to the development of Macao as the World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. IFT has been appointed as the co-organiser of the programme in Macao for 3 consecutive years. Through this progamme, IFT has collaborated with various parties to bring the students from IFT and other four higher education institutions to Tianjin for learning and exchanges.
Starting from 7 June, thirty Macao’s undergraduate students will go to Nankai University in Tianjin for the 15-day exchange programme. They will learn from the city’s experience in cultural heritage conversation. Before departure, the students will have a preparatory class at IFT, taught by the Vice Dean of the College of Tourism and Service Management of Nankai University, Ms. Gao Yang, and Assistant Professor of IFT, Dr. Cora Wong, to get well prepared for the exchange programme.