On the evening of April 16th, SEM’s 2^nd International Food Festival (hereinafter referred to as the Festival), co-organized by the Logistics Service Group of Tongji University, the Students Union of the School of Economics and Management, and SEM’s International Cooperation Office was successfully held at West Cafeteria of Siping Campus, Tongji University.

The Festival drew great attentions during promotion and received enthusiastic responses from students. Tickets were handed out within five minutes and all students were amazed by the rich cultural atmosphere on the spot.

At 18:30, the Festival started on time! A dynamic dance performance kicked off the opening ceremony, winning lots of cheers. Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. GENG Zhengsong, Vice Director of Logistics Service Group and Ms. YAN Aihua, Associate Director of International office of Tongji. Mr. JIN Fu’an, Senior Deputy Dean of SEM announced that the festival officially began.

In the following 40 minutes, the participants enjoyed the master chef’s unique skills of carrot carving. Students even got chances to have a try under the guidance of the chef. The history of Ramen noodles, planed noodles, pasta and various delicate Western dessert widened both Chinese and foreign students’ horizons and let them have a taste of the cultural knowledge of food. Moreover, the exquisite calligraphy of a Chinese character "biang” and the story of “biang biang” noodles opened people’s eyes to a fantastic world. Many foreign students later learned how to write "biang", saying that they were deeply attracted by the charm of Chinese calligraphy.

The following activities of Tasting, Cooking and Etiquette were also fantastic. In Tasting section, there are interesting food games and chances to eat some debatable food. Via those games, people could really feel the meaning of “Different food, different tongue”. In Etiquette Section, students can learn both Chinese and Western table manners by role playing and scenarios simulation. Participants said that they gained experience, so they wouldn’t be nervous even attending a formal banquet. Cooking Section was also highly welcomed. Making dumplings, sushi, fruit series, and glutinous rice cake brought many laughers. At 20:00, the Stomach King competition brought the Festival to full swing and finally SEM’s international student won the competition.

At last, chefs handed out chef hats to everyone as souvenirs. The students wrote down their own “graduation speech” and took a group graduation photo as memory. The whole activity lasted for more than two hours and nearly two hundred Chinese and foreign students took part in it.

Aimed at spreading diverse Chinese and western food culture, this festival not only helped the foreign students all round the world to understand Chinese culture better, but also offer Chinese students a better opportunity to appreciate Western culture and to develop an international vision. In addition, it acts as a bridge of friendship between Chinese and foreign students.