Bridging Cultures Gaps Between China and UK– Documentary “Touching the Greater Bay Area” Global Released Ceremony Launched In the UK

The “Touching the Greater Bay Area” cultural exchange program, held from June to August this year, brought together ten students from leading universities in the U.K., such as Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, and the University of London, for an immersive visit to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). The program was featured in a series of five 15-minute episodes, each focusing on different aspects of the GBA, including technology, intangible cultural heritage, cuisine, the environment, and education.

Since June, a series of short videos about the program have gone viral online. Related posts by Guangdong TV and People’s Daily Online have garnered over 7.5 million views. Besides, British students have posted short videos on their social media.

HJ Colston-Inge, director of the British educational charity Engage with China, shared photos comparing Shenzhen, a city in the Greater Bay Area, in 1985 to today. She expressed her anticipation of seeing more British students visit the GBA and rest of China and dispel misconceptions through firsthand experience.

Five British university students shared their experiences of participating in the program.

Romano from the University of Cambridge. He used to run a society to help students more accessible to know China. And this time he said that he gained new insights into China’s sustainable development efforts, especially what steps local government did to ensure some species continue to exit and didn’t go extinct.

Amelia, an art student from the University of Oxford, found inspiration from profound Chinese culture for her art studies. She said this journey helped her understand the different life between China and the UK. She hoped to go back to China one day.

Malaysian student Choong from Cambridge University had a special connection to the GBA as her parents are from Guangdong and was deeply impressed by the local customs and the rapid development of the province.

Matt sang a Chinese song to sum up his journey in the GBA, he said “I didn’t expect that the Great Bay Are would have such a big impact on us, which exceeds our expectations”.

Yara, who learned International Relations and Chinese in the past four years and graduated from SOAS this year, said “It’s like everything you know from the textbook, but when you are there, it is a different experience. People can tell you everything about anything, but until you experience it yourself, you truly won’t ever know. It is genuinely one of those experiences you’ll carry for the rest of your life.”