In June, the “ice city” of Harbin enters early summer, where warmth gradually fills the air and the flower of friendship quietly blooms across mountains and seas along the banks of the Songhua River. On the morning of June 3, Room 3067 of the College of Aerospace Engineering at Harbin Engineering University (HEU) was filled with a warm atmosphere. The opening ceremony of the China Government Scholarship Summer School program for students from Mahidol University, Thailand, was solemnly held here. Faculty and students from China and Thailand gathered together to discuss educational cooperation and embark on a shared academic journey.

This summer research and study program represents an important achievement in deepening educational exchanges between the two universities. It also serves as a heartfelt return visit following the delegation of teachers and students from the College of Aerospace Engineering at HEU who visited Mahidol University in January this year. The event was attended by Vice Dean of the College of Aerospace Engineering Wu Guohui, Director of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Wang Hongguang, Party Secretary Dong Qianqian, Professor Lv Jianfu, Director of the Academic Affairs Office Zeng Fanli, Counselor You Dalong, as well as student representatives from the Sino-foreign cooperative program in Civil Engineering, all gathered to warmly welcome the visiting Thai students.

In the conference room, a carefully prepared welcome display board prominently read “Warm Welcome to Mahidol University Students,” carrying the sincere enthusiasm and heartfelt expectations of the faculty and students of Harbin Engineering University.

At the beginning of the meeting, students from both universities initiated a cross-border dialogue of youth and friendship. The Harbin Engineering University students who had visited Mahidol University in Thailand this January returned with rich memories and valuable experiences, and shared their study and life impressions in Bangkok with their Thai peers.

From intellectual exchanges in classrooms to collaborative exploration in laboratories, and from distinctive campus activities to everyday cultural experiences in local streets and neighborhoods, both sides engaged in open and enthusiastic discussions on coursework, research practice, and campus culture. Students from Mahidol University showed strong interest in HEU’s distinctive teaching modes and advanced experimental facilities, while HEU students warmly shared their own learning strategies and campus tips, and vividly introduced Harbin’s ice-and-snow culture, local cuisine, and urban landscape.

Through sincere conversations and exchanged smiles, the initially unfamiliar groups quickly bridged the distance between them, leaving the Thai students filled with anticipation for the upcoming academic and research program.

Director of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Wang Hongguang extended a warm welcome on behalf of all faculty and students to the visiting exchange students from Mahidol University. He provided a detailed introduction to the academic advisors and peer-mentoring student teams assigned to each participant, and formally assured that the school would offer comprehensive and fine-grained support in academic guidance, daily life assistance, and cultural adaptation, ensuring that every Thai student would feel at home at Harbin Engineering University.

As the academic supervisor of this summer research program, Professor Lv Jianfu gave a systematic overview of the course arrangement, research practice components, and cultural experience activities planned for the program. He encouraged the students to cherish this valuable opportunity, to actively learn and explore, and to not only gain academic knowledge but also deepen their understanding of Chinese culture, build friendships with Chinese peers, and become ambassadors and practitioners of China-Thailand friendship.

Vice Dean of the College of Aerospace Engineering Wu Guohui noted in his speech that China and Thailand enjoy close geographic proximity, strong people-to-people ties, and deep cultural affinity, with a long-standing and fruitful history of educational cooperation. In January this year, 21 faculty members and students from the College visited Mahidol University for academic exchange, during which they experienced the warmth and hospitality of Thai colleagues as well as their rigorous academic spirit. The return visit of Mahidol University students to HEU today serves as a vivid reflection of the continuously deepening educational exchanges and the growing friendship between the two institutions.

He emphasized that the College of Aerospace Engineering at Harbin Engineering University has always adhered to an open approach to education and places great importance on international exchange and cooperation. He expressed hope that this summer research program would serve as an opportunity to further strengthen practical collaboration between the two universities in talent cultivation, scientific research, and disciplinary development, while building more platforms for mutual learning between faculty and students and advancing China-Thailand educational cooperation to a new level.

At the end of the ceremony, Vice Dean Wu Guohui presented commemorative gifts featuring Harbin Engineering University’s distinctive characteristics to the visiting students from Mahidol University. Each carefully prepared gift carried the sincere friendship and heartfelt sentiments of HEU’s faculty and students, while also serving as a meaningful testament to the valuable and enduring bond between the two universities.

From the initial encounter in wintertime Bangkok to this reunion in the summer “ice city” of Harbin, the seeds of cooperation have taken root through exchange, and the flower of friendship has blossomed through interaction.

The successful holding of the opening meeting for the Mahidol University Summer School program not only helped the Thai students quickly adapt to their new academic and living environment, but also built a bridge for in-depth communication and mutual learning between students from both universities. Looking ahead, the College of Aerospace Engineering at Harbin Engineering University will continue to uphold the philosophy of “openness, cooperation, and mutual benefit,” further expanding channels for international exchange and enriching the forms and depth of collaboration. The College remains committed to cultivating high-level engineering talents with global vision, striving to ensure that the tree of China-Thailand educational cooperation remains evergreen and the flower of friendship continues to bloom.