uring the first half of 2017, 34 SISU students have went to work abroad since graduation. They chose to work for different institutions, including UNESCO, Xinhua News agency and overseas branches of Chinese or foreign companies. 

According to the 2017 SISU Graduates Employment Report, “international” is a popular word features SISU graduates’ job preference. Many of SISU students have realized that “international” means not only engaging in foreign affairs but also connecting China with the world. Mastering culture and history of both China and other countries thus becomes equally important. Here are selected stories of six SISU graduates who are trying to let the world hear China’s voice.

Reporting the change of the world

Zou Le who graduated from the law major in 2011 was working as a correspondent of Xinhua News Agency located in Turkey from October 2014 to March 2017. 

In July 2016, Zou reported a military unrest to seize power from the Turkish president, in which 161 people were killed and 1,440 wounded. After going through all the political crises and conflicts, he strongly hoped no one in the world lives under the shadow of war. 

 “Journalism is hard but cool as journalists never stop chasing perfection and recording social changes,” Zou said, “It’s our duty to stick on the truth. We ought to bring audiences more objective, faithful and understandable news.”

Jin Minmin, who graduated from the same major with Zou in 2004, now works for the international department of Xinhua News Agency based in Washington. 

Jin had a very tight schedule as a correspondent, getting up at 6:30 a.m.; reading and listening to the news in the morning; attending Morning Briefing at 8:30 a.m.; then reading press releases, interviewing people and writing news stories. Until the very end of the day, Jin was still dealing with news – it was time to write in-depth analysis and communicate with editors in Beijing. 

Over these years, Jin has realized that journalism is much more than writing and broadcasting the facts. Jin noted that journalists have a duty to keep the masses informed and to give them a chance to talk about issues that really affect their lives.

Serving China's diplomacy

Xu Wan, who graduated from the School of English Studies of SISU in 2016, now work as a diplomat for the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Afghanistan. 

In 2011, when Xu was still a university student, he volunteered to join in People’s Liberation Army. During the two years in the army, he did military drills during the days, and continued his studies at night. After graduation, he entered the Chinese Foreign Ministry and went to Afghanistan as “it is important in the world history and the current international political arena”. 

He saw armed police and watchtowers everywhere in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. “People suffered. In war, there are no winners, but all are losers. The wound it left shall engrave in people's minds forever and can never be easily cured,” Xu said. 

Yan Zikang, who graduated from the French major, is now working for the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Cote d'Ivoire. Yan determined to devote himself in diplomatic work since he entered SISU in 2013. His dream finally came true. Yan loved his job so much that he compared it as a relationship – he was totally obsessed with Africa's natural scenery, and he had witnessed the development of friendship between China and African countries.  

As a diplomat, Yan said, “we could encounter all kinds of misunderstanding in the intercultural context. But we have to know exactly what people are trying to talk about. We have to understand their problem, and then we can communicate efficiently.” 

Promoting intercultural exchanges

Zheng Zefan, who graduate from Arabic major in 2015, is appointed as a regional manager of Huawei company located in Iraq. He was attracted by the profound history and splendid culture of Iraq while he felt deeply that the political instability had a great impact on people’s life.

Zheng stayed in Erbil, a northern city of Iraq, which was safer than the capital, Baghdad. The situation has become worse since the referendum on the independence of the Kurdistan region took place in September 2017. Zheng thought of the motherland every time he saw the slogan “Made in China”. 

Duan Yan, a French graduate of 2014, works for China Road and Bridge Corp. Since she came to Mali, a village in southern Congo in 2010, Duan, has participated in the Mombasa Nairobi Railway Project in Kenya and also attended some conferences at Diaoyutai state guesthouse. 

Taking advantage of language ability, Duan said,“Language is not only a tool allowing you to work in a multicultural environment, but also somehow showing your potentials and ability."