With delicious food, melodic tunes, and a mix of old friends and new connections, a group of international students from universities across Shenzhen gathered for a delightful midsummer night Friday at the Longhua International Cooperation Center, where they regaled themselves with anecdotes and insights shared by their predecessors and local speakers while dreaming and planning for their future careers.

International students from universities across Shenzhen take a tour of the Longhua International Cooperation Center on Friday. 

Hosted by Longhua District's Foreign Affairs Bureau, Shenzhen University's International Exchange College, the Shenzhen Foundation for International Exchange and Cooperation, the SNG International Communication Center, and executed by the Longhua International Cooperation Center, the event coincided with the summer solstice, which marked the year's longest daylight hours and an annual peak of vitality according to traditional Chinese beliefs.

A diverse panel of speakers, composed of a language instructor, a designer, a social media content creator, a returned overseas Chinese student, and several expat entrepreneurs, delved into an array of themes regarding innovation, entrepreneurship, and employment.

International students from universities across Shenzhen attend the sharing session at the Longhua International Cooperation Center on Friday. 

The speakers used their personal experience to explain innovative problem-solving approaches, strategies to navigate career setbacks, challenges confronting expat entrepreneurs, and practical techniques for cultivating resilience in unfamiliar cultures. Additionally, local human resources and immigration officials offered step-by-step guides on visa requisites and talent policy qualifications in their presentations.

"This is an amazing event, which is really helpful for students like me," said Zia Ur Rahmon, a Pakistani pursuing a Ph.D. in physics at Shenzhen University and a newcomer to the city.

Rahmon, envisioning a post-graduation career as a physics researcher in Shenzhen, lauded the city's abundant professional prospects for international students.

"Shenzhen offers a lot of job opportunities for international students, and as a newcomer, I hope to learn more about these prospects. So I'm looking forward to attending more such events in the future."

Expat musicians perform at the event.

Ghanaian student Iddrisu Awal, who holds bachelor's and master's degrees in communication engineering and arrived in Shenzhen a year ago to study Chinese at Shenzhen University, underscored the event's value in shedding light on visa procedures as well as the practical work experiences of former students.

"This event is very helpful because they told us about the visa and the work experience previous students had," he said.

Setting his sights on securing a job in Shenzhen following his language learning, Awal expressed his desire to participate in similar events in order to gain insights from the diverse career paths of the speakers.

A public security officer of Longhua District interacts with international students at the event.

Echoing similar sentiments, Canadian international student Christian Chabot praised the event's focus on visa issues and expressed his hopes that, in the future, international students will be allowed to apply for part-time work permits.

Dhruv Bharat Shah, who comes from a Kenyan family that runs a jewelry business, said he had planned to open a jewelry processing company in Shenzhen after graduation and the event enabled him to find out the detailed requirements and procedures for entrepreneur visa applications.

Among the speakers, Priyasha Sharma, once an international student in Shenzhen and currently serving as the general manager of Seedst International's overseas division, shared her transformational journey.

Priyasha Sharma, once an international student at Shenzhen University and currently working at a high-tech company in Shenzhen,

 gives a speech at the event.

"I started in Shenzhen as an international student at Shenzhen University 11 years ago. I have seen the confusions or the struggles what they are going through right now," she said. "I think it was a wonderful way that I could share my experience from a student to working in a high-tech firm and how I went through that process."

Sharma also lauded Shenzhen's advancements in expat-centric services over the years, highlighting the governmental and institutional dedication to fostering platforms for international talents.

“When I came 11 years ago, there was not as much of these platforms. It is very good to see that the Shenzhen government and Shenzhen foreign affairs are spending a lot of their energy and talent on creating platforms especially for expats and for international students."

Olivia Li, director of the international talent service center of Shenzhen immigration affairs service hall, gives a speech on visa applications.

Evolving into an international talent magnet, Shenzhen has been rolling out expat-friendly initiatives such as building international blocks and service centers throughout the city.

These blocks and centers, with an aim to streamline expat residents' experiences, regularly curate a diverse array of events catering to expats’ different needs.

International students from universities across Shenzhen pose for a group photo 

after the sharing session at the Longhua International Cooperation Center on Friday. 

According to the Longhua International Cooperation Center, more than 70 international students hailing from 26 different countries and regions signed up for attendance of Friday's event.