Twenty-four multilingual volunteers from Beijing International Studies University (BISU) provided high-quality and efficient services in English, Arabic, Persian, Korean, Thai, Kazakh, and other languages to athletes, media reporters and spectators from different countries and regions at the recent 9th Asian Winter Games held in Harbin.

BISU's volunteers at the 9th Asian Winter Games pose for a group photo.

To better serve the Games, which came to an end on Feb 14, the BISU volunteers ended their Spring Festival holiday early and headed to the snowy rendezvous. 

"Before heading to Harbin, the university provided professional training in language, psychology, photography, and more for all volunteers. The college also set up a dedicated WeChat group for us, making it easy to seek advice from professional teachers when encountering issues at our posts," said Kang Jinning, a graduate student majoring in Korean interpretation. She added that these training sessions boosted her confidence during the event.

The volunteer services involved large-scale opening and closing ceremonies, media operations, event security, medical services covering eight venues.

Sui Zhuolin, a student majoring in Arabic, worked at the media operations position at Yabuli Broadcast International Hotel, overseeing the operations of the media workspace. As an Arabic major, she also provided language services.

During the Games, she not only experienced the charm of winter sports up close but also collected a number of exquisite pins. Sui said each pin marked an episode in her experience and she found them heartwarming.

Sui Zhuolin (R) takes a photo with a reporter from Khazakstan (M) after exchanging pins with him.

Sui met athletes and media reporters from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, exchanged pins, shared cultures and forged friendships. "I hope that through my small actions, I can help more people feel the warmth and friendliness of the Chinese people, show the spirit of university students in Beijing and enhance mutual understanding among people from various countries," she said.

"This Asian Winter Games volunteer service has enhanced my professional skills and cross-cultural communication abilities!" exclaimed Tang Junran, a student majoring in Arabic.

As the event neared its end, its organizers invited media delegations from various countries to attend a Lantern Festival evening party in the press conference hall. That night, Tang met a photographer from the Kuwaiti media team.

"The photographer got lost on the way to the event venue because she couldn't understand Chinese. As I was working at the main media center, I spoke with her in Arabic and escorted her to the destination. She was grateful and we exchanged pins," Tang said, adding that the one she received was beautiful. Through this incident, she realized the importance of volunteer service and felt the charm of cultural exchanges between Chinese and foreigners.

Tang Junran(R) takes a photo with a Kuwaiti photographer after showing her the way to the press conference hall.

BISU paid close attention to the 9th Asian Winter Games, with Chang Yu, secretary of the CPC BISU Committee, personally visiting Harbin to guide international communication efforts for the Games.

As the only university in Beijing to send organized volunteers for the sports event, the university attached great importance to this task. Chang and Ji Jinbiao, deputy secretary of the CPC BISU Committee and president of the university, provided continuous care and guidance, establishing a special working group to ensure effective implementation.

Leveraging the Beijing International Volunteer Service Base, the university tapped into its expertise and organizational advantages in major sports events volunteering, such as the Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics and Asian Games.

They also set up a temporary party branch to handle volunteer recruitment, management, party and youth league construction, ideological education, psychological counseling, publicity and support services.

This volunteer service received focused coverage from major domestic media outlets such as CGTN, Beijing Daily and The Beijing News and garnered attention from entities like the Chinese Embassy in Saudi Arabia, the Education Department of Heilongjiang Province, and the Beijing Volunteer Service Federation.