We, as an Asian food company based in the UK, Starry Mart, are honoured to be one of the sponsors for the "湘韵湘安" New Academic Year event in 2023.
This event, hosted by the British Hunan Association, took place at the London campus of Loughborough University and brought together approximately a hundred representatives from the Chinese Embassy in the UK, Hunan hometown associations, UK university student unions, and various Chinese-funded organizations in the UK.
The event commenced with a poetry recitation titled 《我们是湖南人》as known as "We Are Hunanese," followed by a warm welcome speech from Wu Lili, the Chairperson of the British Hunan Association and the British Hunan Expert Scholars Association. Wu Lili emphasized the significance of this annual New Year event, providing a platform for newly arrived Hunanese students in the UK to connect with like-minded friends, enrich their leisure activities, share their learning, and work experiences, and find a sense of belonging in a foreign land.
Zhang Jin, the Education Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in the UK, highlighted that every international student serves as a walking "Chinese ambassador." He encouraged students to abide by the law and school regulations, focus on their studies, broaden their horizons, promote unity and mutual assistance, actively engage in Sino-UK cultural exchanges, and help more British friends understand China. He assured that the Chinese Embassy in the UK would always be a home for international students studying in the UK.
During the event, Gao Shang, First Secretary of the Education Department at the Chinese Embassy, delivered a keynote speech on the theme of "Studying Safely." He stressed the importance of vigilance among new international students, the prevention of telecommunications fraud, and the need to proactively acquire knowledge about fraud prevention to ensure safety. In addition to the safety of life and property, he also emphasized the importance of mental health, which is crucial for academic growth.
The event featured two roundtable forums where representatives from various organizations, including the British Hunan Chamber of Commerce, the British Hunan Association, the University of East London's School of Architecture, Computing, and Engineering, Durham University Business School, Loughborough University's Innovation and Entrepreneurship School, and the UK Ophir Chinese School, shared their personal experiences in education and entrepreneurship with the attending international students.
This event was jointly organized by the British Hunan Association, the British Hunan Expert Scholars Association, the British Hunan Chamber of Commerce, the British Hunan Hometown Association, and the British Hunan Students' Parents Association. It's worth noting that there is a significant number of Hunanese students studying in the UK, spread across dozens of British universities, including the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, and the University of London.
Starry Mart, we are extremely honored to be a part of this event. As a Chinese enterprise with over a decade of roots in the UK, we have consistently strived to provide more convenient services and a platform for communication to the local Chinese community, supporting activities within the British Chinese community. We look forward to participating in more Chinese community events in the future and contributing to the development of the Chinese community in the UK.
我们作为位于英国的亚洲食品公司，Starry Mart 星集市，非常荣幸能成为"湘韵湘安"迎新活动的赞助商之一。这一活动由英国湖南同乡会2023年在拉夫堡大学伦敦校区举办，吸引了约百位来自中国驻英国大使馆、湘籍侨团、英国高校学联以及在英中资机构的代表。
活动以诗朗诵《我们是湖南人》的方式拉开帷幕，由英国湖南同乡会和英国湖南专家学者协会主席吴莉莉发表了热情的欢迎辞。吴莉莉表示，这一年度的迎新活动为新来英国的湖南籍留学生提供了一个线下社交平台，让他们可以结交志同道合的朋友、丰富业余生活，分享学习和工作经验，从而在异国他乡找到了归属感，不再感到孤单。
中国驻英国使馆教育公参张晋也在活动中发表讲话，强调每一位留学生都是中国的杰出代表，希望他们能遵守法律法规和学校纪律，专注学业，开阔视野，团结互助，积极参与中英文化交流，帮助更多的英国朋友了解中国，展现中国青年的出色精神风貌。他强调中国驻英使馆永远是广大留英学子的温馨家园。
活动中还举办了关于"平安留学"的主题宣讲，由中国驻英国使馆教育处一秘高上进行。高上提醒新入学的留学生务必保持警惕，预防电信诈骗，主动学习防诈知识，增强警觉，不仅要关注生命和财产安全，还要关注心理健康，以助力学业成长。
此外，活动还设有两场圆桌论坛，来自英国湖南商贸总会、英国湖南同乡会、东伦敦大学建筑、计算机及工程学院、杜伦大学商学院、拉夫堡大学创新创业学院、英国奥平顿中文学校等机构的代表分享了他们的学习和创业经验，为在场的留学生提供了宝贵的见解。
Starry Mart 星集市 非常荣幸能够参与此次活动。作为根植英国10余年的华人企业，我们一直致力于为当地华人提供更便捷的服务和交流平台，支持在英华人社团的活动。我们期待能够在日后参与更多华人社团活动，为在英华人社区建设贡献力量。
