From Durham to Wuhan: Bringing our partnership to life through student exchange

From Durham to Wuhan:

Bringing our partnership to life through student exchange

From Chinese calligraphy and traditional music in Wuhan to college life and the historic surroundings of Durham Castle and Cathedral, students from Durham and Wuhan University have been stepping into each other’s cities and cultures through a two-way exchange this year.

This summer, ten students from Durham’s School of Modern Languages and Cultures travelled to Wuhan for an immersive two-week programme hosted by Wuhan University, exploring Chinese culture, heritage and intercultural communication. Their visit continued an exchange that began earlier in the year, when students and staff from Wuhan University’s School of Foreign Languages and Literature came to Durham to take part in the Young Scholars Exchange Programme in Translation and International Communication.

From Durham to Wuhan: experiencing Chinese culture first-hand

In Wuhan, learning unfolded far beyond the classroom, with the city itself becoming a place of cultural discovery.

From paper-cutting and tie-dyeing to calligraphy, painting, traditional music and the art of tea, Durham students immersed themselves in Chinese traditions, discovering the artistry and creativity at their heart. A series of lectures by scholars and specialists added depth to these experiences, offering insights into Confucianism, Daoism and Chan Buddhism and their enduring influence on Chinese thought and culture.

History came to life across the city. At the Panlongcheng archaeological site, students traced Wuhan’s story back thousands of years, learning how archaeologists read layers of soil and trying excavation techniques for themselves – with three millennia beneath their feet. At the Hubei Provincial Museum, they came face to face with some of the region’s most remarkable treasures, uncovering the stories of the people and cultures behind them.

Movement and performance offered another window onto cultural exchange. Through practising Tai Chi, students experienced a tradition in which movement, balance and philosophy come together. From the distinctive sounds and gestures of traditional Chu opera to the familiar world of Shakespearean theatre, they also explored how stories can travel across languages, centuries and traditions – taking on new forms while still creating moments of connection.

Over two weeks, students listened, observed, created, translated and shared. In doing so, they moved beyond experiencing another culture to considering how its stories might be interpreted, communicated and shared across languages.

From Wuhan to Durham: learning across languages and cultures

The same spirit of curiosity and exchange shaped the Wuhan University students’ visit to Durham in January 2026.

Staying at historic St Mary’s College, Durham’s first women’s college established in 1899, the group experienced college life at the heart of Durham. They explored the Bill Bryson Library and visited Durham Castle and Cathedral – part of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. A welcome dinner in Durham Castle brought students and staff from both universities together in one of the city’s most historic settings – and, for some of the students, brought a childhood Harry Potter dream to life.

Academic exchange was central to their time at Durham. Students joined classes across MA Translation Studies, MA TESOL and Applied Linguistics, and Chinese Studies, gaining first-hand experience of different approaches to language, translation and intercultural learning. At a postgraduate roundtable, Wuhan University students exchanged perspectives with Master’s and PhD students in Translation Studies on postgraduate study, research and future career paths. They also offered MLAC undergraduates a glimpse into academic and student life at Wuhan University.

At the Oriental Museum, Chinese artefacts and their translations became a starting point for exploring how cultural stories can reach audiences across languages, while a dedicated Shakespeare exhibition offered another perspective on how literature travels across time, place and cultures.

Together, these two visits have turned an exchange agreement into a shared experience. From the cultural treasures of Wuhan to the historic heart of Durham, students have learned with and from one another – forging connections that bring our partnership to life today and lay the foundations for an even closer relationship in the years ahead.

Sincere thanks go to colleagues across MLAC, particularly those from MATS, MA TESOL and Applied Linguistics, CFLS and Chinese Studies, and to our wonderful admin team, whose generous contributions were a vital part of the success of the Wuhan students’ visit to Durham. Grateful thanks are also extended to colleagues at University College, the Main Library and the Department of Archaeology for their kind assistance and warm hospitality, and for creating opportunities for the visiting students to engage more fully with academic and student life at Durham. At the same time, we’d like to extend our special thanks to colleagues at the School of Foreign Languages and Literature at Wuhan University for their warm welcome to our students and all the care that went into organising the visit, giving Durham students such a rewarding and memorable experience in Wuhan.