22 May 2025
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) was founded in the era of global reflection on education and exploration of internationalization. It was born in the Yangtze River Delta region, which is known as the ‘engine of the world economy’, in the beautiful Suzhou, which is known as the ‘paradise on earth’, and in the Suzhou Industrial Park, which is a national comprehensive experimental zone for opening up to the outside world. Timing, geographical advantage and human harmony have laid a solid foundation for XJTLU to become a world ‘player’.
In March 2025, a group of MBA students from Dominican University of California crossed the ocean to visit XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), embarking on a deeply immersive exploration of China's industries and culture through the Non-degree Education platform. Here, we prioritized exchange, not dividing by nationality, but exploring an international university that encompasses the era of globalization and the knowledge economy. Over seven days, they touched the pulse of Chinese commerce with the attitude of "the world coming in" and engaged in a dialogue about the global future with the vision of "China going out." Through cross-cultural and cross-national exchanges, together with XJTLU, they sought a professional spirit that is free, casual, yet abundant.
Inside and Outside the Classroom: A "Chinese and Western Blend" from Theory to Practice
True learning does not only occur in the classroom but also in applying this knowledge to the complex situations of the real world.?Joseph Seet, the Associate Professor of Practice, at the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub of XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) with extensive multinational business experience, filled the lessons with diverse business discourse. From relational culture to digital economy transformation, from policy interpretation to localized case studies, he brought industry issues into the classroom, allowing students to dissect the logic of Chinese business from a cross-cultural perspective.
Company Visits: Experiencing the "Dual Face" of Chinese Industry
The talent development model of "integration of industry and education, cooperation between school and enterprise" leverages the strengths of both schools and enterprises, jointly cultivating talent required by society and the market, achieving a win-win situation for both higher education institutions and enterprises. Mubea, a German company and an international automotive parts supplier, actively contributes to the promotion of education and economic development. Students had the opportunity to experience the operations of supply chain management, observe how German technology is locally iterated in China, and engage in exchanges with professionals from Mubea.
With significant changes in the structure of plastic products in the new era, there is a growing demand for high-value-added products and changes in equipment requirements. During the visit to the company of Shuangrong Rubber & Plastics, students gained insights into the company's transition towards a circular economy model in the plastic industry, from supply chain resilience to brand internationalization and carbon neutrality solutions. The strategies of Chinese enterprises provided them with fresh inspiration and understanding of how the complex interactions between humans and nature shape the world today and in the future.
With two company visits and two group project designs, Assistant Professor Liu Kai from the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub of XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) actively listened to the students' imaginative solutions while sharing his extensive industry experience with the class. Students validated what they learned in the classroom on the front lines of industry and offered globalization insights to Chinese enterprises. As advocated by XJTLU, "True business education must synchronize the world with industry."
Cultural Journey: Understanding Jiangnan, Comprehending China
From the moonlight in the Humble Administrator's Garden to the mist over the Longjing Tea Plantation, they measured the depth of culture with their steps. In the Chinese traditional spatial aesthetics of the Humble Administrator's Garden, they listened to the scholar-official spirit belonging to the garden and savored the elegance of the "Venice of the East" amidst the sound of Pingtan(Types of Chinese Opera in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province). In the tea plantations of Hangzhou, students learned about the types of Chinese tea, the production process, and the history of tea culture. Amidst the tea aroma, Eastern and Western thoughts collided vigorously. Under the Leifeng Pagoda in Hangzhou, they traced the millennium-old legends and explored the thousand-year-old commercial genes amid the West Lake. From the tranquility of Zhujiajiao to the bustling Bund, just an hour's drive, it felt like a journey through a hundred years. The 19th-century bricks and stones, the 20th-century vicissitudes, and the 21st-century data resonated under the feet of the students. The three-dimensional history of China's reform and opening-up is the most vivid lesson on China's development comparison.
With the constant collision of Western and Chinese thinking, this tour has long ceased to be ordinary. As an international education hub, XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) is building bridges with its unique "XJTLU model," helping global students decode China's business ecosystem through industry connections and cultural immersion, empowering enterprises with academics, and nurturing future business leaders with cross-cultural leadership. In integrating global educational resources and wisdom, exploring new educational models, and cultivating students into "global citizens," conducting international education and cooperation, and first-rate research, XJTLU is driving positive advancements in international higher education through innovative university operational models.
In seven days at XJTLU, the California students returned with Chinese solutions, while XJTLU's integrated education story still continues. Here, every day narrates a new globalization story - welcoming more international teams to witness China and rediscover the world.
22 May 2025