As Chinese companies expand overseas, knowing a foreign language alone may no longer be enough. They also need professionals who understand specialized fields — a demand North Minzu University (NMU) is seeking to address with its new School of International Cultural Communication.
Based in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, the university unveiled the school on Oct 31.
Wang Yongqiang, the university's Party secretary, said the new school was a timely response to the changing global communication landscape.
"It brings together expertise in journalism and communication, foreign language studies, and area studies to foster a coordinated approach, particularly in engaging with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative and those in West Asia and the Arab world," he said.
More than 20 scholars from universities and research institutions attended a seminar held alongside the launch, discussing area studies amid changes in the global order and the training of professionals for international outreach.
According to Wang, the school will work with four partners — Dao Zhonghua (Telling China's Stories), a cultural publicity platform under the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Ningxia Radio and Television Station, Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), and Wisdom House International Cultural Communication Group — on a training model designed to align curricula with market needs and incorporate employers' feedback into student evaluation.
Zhang Shirong, chairman of Wisdom House, outlined the industry's demand for talent. Founded in 2011, the company operates in nearly 30 Belt and Road countries and 22 Arab countries. It has translated and published more than 1,650 Chinese — and Arabic-language book titles, dubbed over 330 animated works and established Chinese language education institutes in 11 Arab countries.
"We will work closely with the new school to provide students with more job opportunities," he said.
Wu Meihong, deputy dean of the School of International Journalism and Communication at BFSU, emphasized the importance of practical training in cultivating such professionals.
"Students need hands-on experience to become qualified specialists," Wu said.
Area studies, she added, draws on fields including politics, economics, sociology and communication. Project-based teaching could bring together students from different disciplines to tackle real-world cases.
NMU has been exploring a similar approach through its bilingual cultural communication studio, Dao Zhonghua, which combines classroom learning with practical projects.
The studio grew out of the Huayun Bilingual Cultural Communication Society, founded in 2021 by Zhang Mei, a professor at the university's School of Foreign Studies. It now has a team of 36 students from 14 schools and colleges, who work alongside teachers in an interdisciplinary, collaborative model.
"What the new era calls for is more than people who translate words," she said. "It needs young storytellers who share the story of the Chinese nation, convey the richness of traditional Chinese culture to the world, and foster mutual learning among civilizations."
Focusing on subjects including Chinese idioms, myths, intangible cultural heritage, classical poetry and seasonal customs, the studio has produced 296 original bilingual videos, reaching audiences in more than 80 countries and regions. Since July 2026, it has also created seven artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) works, which have garnered more than 311,000 views.
"The romance of culture lies not in celebrating itself, but in letting the world hear its heartbeat," Zhang Mei said.
