On the afternoon of August 14, the Guangzhou Cultural Center became the setting for a unique cultural journey.

Seventy-four international students participating in the 2026 PLACE Language and Cultural Exchange Summer Camp at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) put on traditional Chinese hanfu and explored the center’s gardens and traditional-style architecture.

Some carefully learned how to perform the traditional zuoyi greeting, while others enthusiastically recreated Chinese kung fu moves they had seen in films. Many posed for photos in the gardens, capturing their first experience wearing hanfu.

For these young people, hanfu was more than a costume. It became a way to connect with Chinese history, aesthetics and traditions through direct experience.

With a change of clothing, a traditional gesture and a few kung fu moves, 74 international students created their own cross-cultural conversation—one that connected the past and present, China and the wider world.

Reporting: Liang Yiling
Video: Liang Yiling, Ouyang Shuting (Intern)
English Author & Editor: Liang Yiling