With delicious food, music, and a mix of old friends and new acquaintances, a group of international students from universities across Shenzhen gathered Friday at the Longhua International Cooperation Center, where they listened to anecdotes and insights shared by their predecessors and local speakers while dreaming about and planning for their future careers.

Co-hosted by the Longhua District Foreign Affairs Bureau, Shenzhen University’s International Exchange College, the Shenzhen Foundation for International Exchange and Cooperation, and the Shenzhen News Group International Communication Center, and executed by the Longhua International Cooperation Center, the event coincided with the summer solstice — the longest day of the year and an annual peak of vitality according to traditional Chinese beliefs.

International students from universities across Shenzhen pose for a group photo after a sharing session at the Longhua International Cooperation Center on Friday. Photos by Liu Minxia

A diverse panel of speakers, including a language instructor, a designer, a social media content creator, a returned overseas Chinese student, and several expat entrepreneurs, delved into various themes focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and employment.

The speakers used their personal experiences to explain innovative problem-solving approaches, strategies to navigate career setbacks, challenges confronting expat entrepreneurs, and practical techniques for cultivating resilience in unfamiliar cultures. Additionally, local human resources and immigration officials presented step-by-step guides on visa requirements and talent policy qualifications.

“This is an amazing event, which is really helpful for students like me,” said Zia Ur Rahmon, a Pakistani pursuing a Ph.D. in physics at Shenzhen University.”

Rahmon, envisioning a post-graduation career as a physics researcher in Shenzhen, lauded the city’s abundant professional prospects for international students. “Shenzhen offers a lot of job opportunities for international students, and as a newcomer, I hope to learn more about these prospects. I’m looking forward to attending more such events in the future.”

International students from universities across Shenzhen take a tour of the Longhua International Cooperation Center on Friday.

Ghanaian student Iddrisu Awal, who holds a master’s degree in communication engineering and arrived in Shenzhen a year ago to study Chinese at Shenzhen University, underscored the event’s value in shedding light on visa procedures as well as the practical work experiences of former students.

“This event is very helpful because they told us about the visa and the work experience previous students had,” he said. Setting his sights on securing a job in Shenzhen after studying Chinese, Awal expressed a desire to participate in similar events in order to gain insight into the diverse career paths of the speakers.

Echoing similar sentiments, Canadian international student Christian Chabot praised the event’s focus on visa issues and expressed his hopes that, in the future, international students will be allowed to apply for part-time work permits.

Dhruv Bharat Shah, who comes from a Kenyan family that runs a jewelry business, said he plans to open a jewelry processing company in Shenzhen after graduation, and the event enabled him to find out the detailed requirements and procedures for entrepreneur visa applications.

Among the speakers, Priyasha Sharma, a former international student in Shenzhen who is currently serving as the general manager of Seedst International’s overseas division, shared her transformational journey.

“I started in Shenzhen as an international student at Shenzhen University 11 years ago. I have seen the confusions or the struggles that they are going through right now,” she said. “I think it was a wonderful way that I could share my experience from being a student to working in a high-tech firm and how I went through that process.”

Sharma also lauded Shenzhen’s advancements in expat-centric services over the years, highlighting the governmental and institutional dedication to fostering platforms for international talent.

“When I came 11 years ago, there was not as much of these platforms. It is very good to see that the Shenzhen government and Shenzhen foreign affairs [authority] are spending a lot of their energy and talent on creating platforms, especially for expats and for international students.”

Evolving into an international talent magnet, Shenzhen has been rolling out expat-friendly initiatives such as building international blocks and service centers throughout the city. These blocks and centers, which aim to streamline expat residents’ experiences, regularly curate a diverse array of events that cater to expats’ different needs.

According to the Longhua International Cooperation Center, more than 70 international students hailing from 26 different countries and regions signed up to attend the event Friday.