江苏留学网

International students hold their certificates for the second Chinese language summer program at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. [Photo/jschina.com.cn]

International students attending the Chinese language summer program at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA) said they enjoyed their time stepping out of the classroom to embrace practical scenarios. 

Having taken place now three consecutive times, this year's event gave the enthusiastic foreign learners various novel and challenging experiences. 

English adaptations of three classic Chinese plays – Mulan, Thunderstorm and The Legend of the White Snake – appeared to be the most enjoyable challenges. The students only had 30 minutes to memorize the lines, which were written in Chinese, and then practice, before mastering the plot and performing. 

A student from Zimbabwe, who acted as the emperor in Mulan, said the show was "totally not a picnic". 

The storyline is about the character Mulan masquerading as a man to take her ailing father's place in the army, as the country faces the threat of invading barbarian hordes – and the imperial court requires a man from every family to sign up for compulsory military service. 

The students also adopted Nanjing locals as their teachers, setting their open-air classroom by the side of picturesque Xuanwu Lake while they sought authentic instruction in Nanjing dialect and Chinese songs. 

A student from Pakistan said the activities held outside the classroom brought him bags of fun and helped deepen his understanding of Chinese culture. 

This year's program attracted international students from NUAA, Hohai University and Southeast University.