From medical competitions to martial arts training, Fudan international students took their summer break as a chance to dive deeper into what they love.

Summer means different things to different people.

For Fudan's international students, it meant taking their passions off campus and into the real world—from Go tournaments to medical labs, from hospital rounds to kung fu training. And along the way, they picked up more than just skills.

A World Within a Go Board  

Khong Hoang Lan | Vietnam | Business Administration, Master's student | Shanghai

I used to wonder how a board and a few stones could keep someone seated for hours, lost in thought. I didn't get it—until I came to Shanghai and a Chinese friend introduced me to Go.

I soon learned that Go isn't really about winning or losing. It's about learning to think ahead, to hold your patience steady, and to let every move quietly shape the way you see things.

In the spring of 2026, I joined a Go training program for international students in Shanghai. Teacher Ouyang and his assistants made the ancient game feel alive—patient, vivid, and never intimidating. With each session, with every game and every exchange with other players, what started as curiosity quietly grew into something deeper.

This summer, I volunteered at the 10th World Collegiate Go Championship. And that was when I saw what Go can really do. Young players from all over the world—different languages, different backgrounds—came together around the same board, drawn by the same love for the game. That's when I understood: "making friends through Go" isn't just a tagline. It's a quiet connection that travels across borders, no translation needed.

Technology and AI can analyze every move and predict the outcome. They can even break language barriers. But they can't replace the warmth of sitting face to face with someone, moving stone by stone, in a conversation that doesn't need words.

I'm grateful to Fudan for giving us this opportunity—to grow from beginners into active participants in an international event, to meet people from five continents, and to help make a global tournament happen. Through this experience, I've come to see that true passion knows no age and no borders. I hope the spirit of Go lives on—and that everyone I met across the board finds their way back to it someday.

From Lab to Competition

AI MAKI (Japan) | KAZMI SABRINA SHAH (Pakistan) | AGUSTINA CHEN (Argentina) | YURI HURUTA (Japan) | CHONG EE CHEN (Malaysia)

Supervised by Dr. Gao Yang, Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Neurosurgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center

This summer, the five of us traveled to Shenzhen with our supervisor to compete in the National College Student Medical Innovation Competition—and we came home with third prize.

We look back at those few months and still can't believe how much we packed in. We started with theory and literature, wrote and rewrote the abstract, then moved on to slides—more slides, more revisions. None of it would have been possible without our supervisor's patience and guidance.

To present our project well, we went over our materials again and again in Chinese. In the end, we delivered the whole defense in Chinese. When the judges acknowledged our language skills, we felt both surprised and proud. The night before the competition, we rehearsed until past midnight. It was tough, but it taught us something we won't forget: research demands rigor, but just as much, it demands teamwork and persistence.

Beyond the lab and the competition, we also got to know Shenzhen's food scene—Chaoshan beef hotpot, braised pork trotter rice, and coconut chicken hotpot. Those meals became part of the memories too.

We are truly grateful to our supervisors at the Cancer Hospital and the faculty at the Medical School's Academic Affairs Office for their support every step of the way.

At the Bedside

HKUN AUNG | Myanmar | Neurosurgery, Master's student | Shanghai

This summer, I continued my clinical training at the Pudong campus of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University. And it was there that I truly came to understand what it means to care for patients—not just as cases, but as people.

Every day, I joined the professors on their ward rounds. I watched patients arrive with trust and hope in their eyes before surgery, then gradually recover and walk out of the hospital with smiles. In the outpatient clinic, I saw professors patiently explain diagnoses and treatment options to anxious families—taking the time to make sure they understood.

In the operating room, every step was precise and deliberate: the preparation before surgery, the incision planning, the procedure itself, the constant monitoring of vital signs. And when I saw a patient smile again after recovery, I felt a renewed sense of purpose. It reminded me why I chose this path—and gave me the motivation to keep moving forward.

5 A.M. in Dengfeng

Elizabeth (Li Ziyi) | Russia | International Public Policy, Master's student | Dengfeng, Henan

I came to Tagou Martial Arts School in July and stayed for a month. I wanted to train in martial arts because movement calms me down—and martial arts, I found, opened a new door for handling my emotions.  

The biggest challenge? Waking up at five every morning. I'd never been a morning person. But I got used to it. We had four training sessions a day—traditional forms, competitive wushu, flips, and lots and lots of stretching. I also took part in the school's sports day opening ceremony, which was unforgettable.

The training was exhausting. What surprised me most, though, was that at 22, I could still become this flexible—and my body could actually handle four sessions a day. The coaches told me I had real potential, which made me incredibly happy.

What moved me the most was that some coaches who didn't even know me saw my videos on social media and said I had talent.

Leaving was hard. But I left feeling full—I took so many warm memories with me. And I know that if I ever come back, they'll welcome me again.

Beyond the Classroom

Learning doesn't stop when class is over.

A competition, an internship, a passion pursued—any of these can open a new door to understanding China and connecting with the people here.

In Part II, we'll follow our students further afield—into cities, across mountains and rivers, and out into a wider world.

Source: Fudan University