he four-hour International Carnival held by SISU’s School of Chinese Studies and Exchange started from 9 a.m. on October 19, attracting both Chinese and foreign students, teachers and citizens in Shanghai.

Talent shows and global market stalls were two main parts of the carnival.

International students from 24 countries, including Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan, made their own stands, showing the culture of their own countries through decorations, wearing clothes, and their home-made food. For example, The Nigerian stall attracted the passengers by “Chin chin”, a fried snack in West Africa, mostly in Nigeria.

Qin Ge, a Nigerian undergraduate student at SISU, introduced other stuff on the stall. “That instrument is Oba of Benin. It is a traditional guitar of our country,” Qin said, “I think this carnival is very helpful for language-learners like us.”

Next to it, the Indian stall was also attractive. “We decorate the stall by using the elements of the Indian temple,” said Sheng Rongfu, who is an Indian student now studying at SISU, the organizer of the Indian stall as well as the champion of the "Chinese Bridge" (a contest for foreign college students on their mastery of the Chinese language).

Francesca Longoni, an Italian student studying in SISU’s School of Chinese Studies and Exchange, said: “We try to be original as everybody knows some typical Italian foods. Pasta in pasta is exactly our choice.”

Students who visited all the stalls and got all the stamps of different countries could participate in the draw and take the prize. A board placed at the gate was also used to vote for the favorite stall.

The talent shows started as early as the international stall display.  The show hosted together by an Egyptian student and a Chinese student featured a Vietnam modern dance, an Kazakhstan chorus and instrumental performance.

“The show was amazing,” Ge Ruifeng, a teacher visitor from Anhui University said, “However, they shouldn’t put the show and the global market stall display at the same time; otherwise, we can enjoy both.”

Xia Danghua, a teacher visitor with Ge, pointed out that the countries were not diverse enough.

It has been much tougher for organizers to improve the carnival since visitors have higher expectations each year. “The International Carnival has been held for five times till now,” said Zhang Xinyu, the teacher responsible for the event, “and this year’s event is a little different, we put some new elements in, especially the runway show, hoping to give participants more surprise and enjoyment.”