On the afternoon of December 7, the journalists for the Belt and Road Beijing Imprint Media Coverage, one of the events in the 2023 “Jing·Cai” New Journey, visited Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA). ZHANG Dayu, President of BUCEA and Chairman of Belt and Road Architectural University International Consortium (BRAUIC); GUO Xian, a faculty member from the School of Geomatics and Urban Spatial Informatics; and Ibrahim Sultan, a representative of international graduates, introduced their personal experiences of educational exchange and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. The media group consisted of journalists from central and local media organizations and online platforms such as People’s Daily Online, China Youth, Beijing Daily, BJNews, Qianlong, and YNET. BUCEA was the only university recommended for interview by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform.
As explained by BUCEA President ZHANG Dayu, the BRAUIC has been joined by 84 universities and companies from 28 countries since its establishment six years ago. It has held seven annual conferences and education forums, seven urban design conferences, seven international summer schools, four international student competitions on digital architectural design, and three Global Campus Exchange Programs for Summer Schools. These flagship events have benefited nearly 10,000 teachers and students from over 100 universities. BUCEA is offering master’s degree programs in six majors including architecture for international students from Belt and Road countries, awarding scholarships to over 100 international students from 28 countries.
Relying on the BRAUIC platform, the member universities have also collaborated on applying for international laboratories, launching research projects, publishing papers, and hosting international conferences. BUCEA, in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano, has applied for and received approval from the Ministry of Education for the establishment of the International Joint Laboratory of Safety and Energy Conservation for Ancient Buildings. In addition, BUCEA has also worked with the University of Novi Sad in Serbia among various institutions to establish the International Innovation Center for Architectural Heritage Protection and Development in the Belt and Road Region, with a bilateral agreement signed at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
GUO Xian shared a collaborative research project between BUCEA and the University of Novi Sad in Serbia, a BRAUIC member, on environmental monitoring of the China-Europe Railway Express, which provided technical support for ecological environment monitoring and analysis of the Belt and Road transportation network.
Ibrahim Sultan told his own stories as an international student from Belt and Road countries, studying and starting his own business in Beijing.
As the only architectural university and a leading municipal university in Beijing, BUCEA has seized upon the opportunities presented by the Belt and Road Initiative to establish a platform for international talent cultivation, collaborative technological innovation, and cultural exchanges. These efforts have helped BUCEA fulfill its role in leading technology and talent development for urban and rural construction in countries along the Belt and Road, ultimately promoting the establishment of an educational community under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Further reading:
1. Qianlong.com: BRAUIC amps up effort to protect ancient buildings
(https://culture.qianlong.com/2023/1208/8160663.shtml)
2. BJNews: Valuable lessons by Beijing during a decade of Belt and Road efforts
(https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1701956989129813.html)
3. Beijing Daily: Belt and Road Beijing Imprint: A circle of friends among architectural universities led by BUCEA
4. YNET: BUCEA explores to establish a Belt and Road circle of friends among architectural universities
(http://news.ynet.com/2023/12/09/3703566t2518.html)
5. People.cn: BUCEA explores to establish a Belt and Road architectural university friend circle
(http://bj.people.com.cn/n2/2023/1211/c14540-40673907.html)