First Lesson of the Semester: Visiting the "Yukun" and Exploring Donggang, Understanding China between Mountains and Seas
——The International Students’ Education Center Relies on the Industry Advantages of the Ministry of Transport and the Maritime Characteristics of DMU to Create a New Immersive Educational Scene for "Studying at DMU"
In order to thoroughly implement the requirements of the Ministry of Education on "improving quality and efficiency, connotative development" for studying in China, and serve the opening up of education, transportation power, maritime power, and the construction of the "Belt and Road", the International Students’ Education Center has continued to carry out a series of 2026 "First Lesson" activities. On the afternoon of September 20th, more than 50 international freshmen from over 20 countries boarded the "Yukun" vessel and visited the Donggang Business District, embarking on an immersive exploration journey with "real ship cognition+city perception".
Dalian Maritime University is a national key university under the Ministry of Transport and a national "Double First Class" construction university, known as the "cradle of navigators". The school was born and prospered by the sea, shouldering the mission of becoming a transportation power and a maritime power. It has national platforms such as the National Engineering Research Center of Ship Navigation System, and is the national team of China's higher navigation education. Placing enrollment education at the forefront of this industry, allowing international students to perceive China's strong capabilities in transportation, maritime governance, and international shipping talent cultivation through the window of DMU.
Based on the location of Dalian, perceive the pulse of Northeast Asia's International Shipping Center. Dalian, located on the coast of the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, is an international shipping center in Northeast Asia, an international logistics center and an important node of the "the Belt and Road". From the Dalian window, foreign students can understand China's maritime power strategy, regional cooperation in Northeast Asia and the vitality of urban openness, and understand the ocean chapter of Chinese path to modernization in real scenes.
Boarding the "Yukun" vessel, experience the hardcore strength of China's maritime education. The "Yukun" vessel is China's first self-developed, designed, and imported specialized maritime teaching and training vessel with key equipment. It is also one of the world's most advanced specialized ocean-going teaching and training vessels and can be regarded as a landmark platform for higher maritime education in China. International students walked onto the bridge and had close contact with modern communication, navigation, radar monitoring, and steering devices. They had a lively exchange with the captain about berthing and disembarking procedures, emergency response, and career development of seafarers, and personally operated the equipment. The classroom has been moved onto the deck, making the "Study at DMU" brand tangible and touchable.
Explore Donggang and feel the transformation of Dalian city. The Donggang Business District witnesses Dalian's transition from a century old port to a modern international shipping center. The leading teacher explained the location advantages and development prospects of Dalian as an international shipping center in Northeast Asia, based on the regional development history. International students strolled through Donggang, truly experiencing the speed of urban development and the rich marine culture in China, and looking forward to their studies and life in Dalian.
Integrating education and improving the entire process of the education system. The activity organically combines maritime professional cognition, urban cultural experience, and identity education, guiding freshmen to move from campus to city, from classroom to deck, from institutional cognition to cultural perception, and establishing a sense of identity and belonging to the school and Dalian at the beginning of enrollment. Next, the International Students’ Education Center will continue to carry out activities such as urban exploration and Chinese language practice around themes such as academic development, cultural awareness, and safety and rule of law. We will adhere to the principle of integrating management with humanistic care, continuously improve the entire process of international students' education, and cultivate more maritime cultural exchange ambassadors who are knowledgeable about China, friendly to China, and connect China with the world.
Taking Dalian as the window, DMU as the bridge, and transportation as the artery. The International Students’ Education Center will demonstrate the responsibility of DMU in serving the national strategy of opening up education to the outside world, building a strong transportation and maritime country, and contributing to telling the story of China well, promoting people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries, and building a community with a shared future for mankind.
