The Celebration 6th Anniversary of CAMEL (China-Arabia Multicultural Exchange Link) and the first alumni reunion was held successfully at Waldorf Astoria Beijing on the evening of June 12, 2021.

 

 

Dr. Rafif Al-Sayed, Wife of Syrian ambassador to China, was invited as the keynote speaker to the event. Prof. Fu Zhiming, Vice Dean, School of Foreign Languages of Peking University and Dr. Wu Bingbing, Deputy Director, Department of Arabic Language and Culture, SFL-PKU and Chair Professor of State of Qatar Chair in Middle Eastern Studies at PKU also attended the event, as well as representative of People's Daily Overseas, media partner of the event.

 

 

The event was divided into three sessions: the review of the CAMEL Program, remarks given by the guests and the free conversation. Prof. Fu Zhiming delivered the opening remark. He expressed great gratitude to Dr. Rafif for her presence. Prof. Fu also described the splendid scenery he observed as well as the friendly local people he encountered during his visits to Syria. Speaking of the alumni at the event, Prof. Fu said that the Department of Arabic Language and Culture will be forever grateful to everyone for their efforts and contributions, and will take constant pride in everyone’s achievements.

 

 

Dr. Rafif delivered the keynote speech after the opening remark. She began her speech with two groups of photos taken in Syria, with the former introducing the magnificent scenery of the nation and the latter showing the tremendous damage inflicted upon Syria by violent conflict and civil strife, as well as the great impact of such strife on the life of civilians. Dr. Rafif gave all the guests a lively picture of the change that external aid may bring to the children whose life was affected by the conflict by sharing her personal experiences. She expressed her gratitude to the Chinese friends who gave a helping hand to the Syrian people, as well as high expectations of China’s future role in eventually bringing a solution to the Syrian Crisis. After the conclusion of the speech, Dr. Wu Bingbing presented a gift to Dr. Rafif on behalf of the CAMEL Committee.

 

 

In the alumni sharing session, Mr. Xiao Yida, co-founder of CAMEL and undergraduate of Department of Arabic Language and Culture of Peking University (2013-2016), gave an insightful speech. He elaborated on his original intention of founding the CAMEL community, and used the word "RAME" in depicting the future of CAMEL regarding four distinct perspectives, including resource allocation, activity organization, project management, and empowerment. 

 

 

The second speaker in this session was Ms. Li Chubing, co-founder of CAMEL Peking University-Middle East Youth Dialogue Forum and undergraduate of Department of English Language and Literature of Peking University in 2014. She emphasized the importance of embracing the unknown and possibilities in the future, and the significance of “sense of belonging” provided by the CAMEL family to all the members. In addition, she shared her comprehension of "telling Chinese stories" by the youth based on the content of the Program itself.

 

 

At the end of the speech session, Dr. Wu Bingbing gave a short conclusion regarding the future development of CAMEL as well as his expectations for all the alumni. Prof. Wu thanked CAMEL's founder Xiao Yida, and fully affirmed the important role played by the presidium, organizing committee, along with all the delegates throughout the history of CAMEL, and the contributions of all the alumni in the construction of Department of Arabic Language and Culture. Finally, Prof. Wu put forward new requirements for the future development of CAMEL, and expressed his sincere blessings to all alumni and department friends.

 

 

After the speech session, all the attendees took a group photo and then entered the free conversation session. The overall atmosphere of the free talk session was pleasant and warm.

 

 

This celebration and alumni reunion is the first offline event held by CAMEL after the pandemic, and also the first restart of CAMEL after a lapse of one and a half years. We are all looking forward to CAMEL’s embarking on the Silk Road again and exploring the mysterious Middle East in the near future. We also welcome all young friends from the Middle East as well as those who are passionate towards the Arab culture to join us and let the Sino-Arab cross-cultural exchanges compose a gorgeous new chapter of future cooperation!