Liverpool in Shanghai: celebrating 25 years as sister cities

Students and staff visit Shanghai

Forty seven members of students and staff from LJMU have visited China this month as part of the Liverpool Outbound Education Mission to Shanghai. 

Led by Liverpool City Council, LJMU has joined delegates from University of Liverpool, Liverpool China Partnership and other stakeholders from across the city region, on the Liverpool Outbound Education Delegation Mission to Shanghai. The delegation celebrates the partnership between the two cities, 25 years on from when they were first twinned. 

As part of the education mission, LJMU and nine other partners from the city region have taken part in education workshops, culture days and meetings with government leaders from the region, to discuss the education sector, reflect on 25 years of partnership, and discuss future opportunities being sister cities could have, for both Liverpool and Shanghai. 

Staff from LJMU also attended the launch of the John Moores Painting Prize: China, an art competition where the winning paintings will be exhibited as part of the Liverpool Biennial.  

Student led delegation engage as global citizens 

As well as the city led delegation, LJMU also co-ran a student led delegation with 36 students from a range of courses, including business, fashion, media, art and design, sport and the formula e-racing car project, traveling to Shanghai, to meet students from partner universities in the city. The student delegation’s two-week stay involved individuals working on joint projects and sharing their learnings with local students. The projects culminated in a ‘Liverpool in Shanghai Culture Day’ which saw a fashion show,  documentary screening and a UK vs China student football friendly match take place. 

Dr Julia Wang, Director of International Relations at LJMU, said: 

“We’ve been delighted to be part of the Liverpool Education Delegation to visit Shanghai and celebrate 25 years of being sister cities. 

“At LJMU, students are at the heart of everything we do and this has not only been a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our ties between Liverpool and Shanghai but also for our students to engage as global citizens, experiencing different cultures, gain new skills and sharing their learning with students from across the globe.”

Ella Henry, MA Fashion Innovation and Realisation student, said:

“The experience has been really amazing! I feel incredible fortunate to have been able to visit such a beautiful country and learn so much from a different culture. We have been working on creating new garments for a fashion show we are holding, and I have been able to work directly with a Chinese fashion student to create my design. This is a completely new and unique experience for me, and being able to work with the students at the University here whilst also being the shown the history and culture of Shanghai, has been really exciting and I feel like I have learnt so much which I can take back and use within my own work at LJMU.” 

Students who attended the trip, applied through LJMU’s Global Opportunities, which offers students at the university a range of opportunities to study, work or volunteer abroad at a range of destinations across the globe. Global Opportunities are open to all students and LJMU pledges to support all students becoming global citizens regardless of their financial circumstances or background. 

Zoe Woodward, BA Sports Journalism student, said:

“Coming to Shanghai I’m not sure anyone really knew what to expect. It’s definitely a lot different over here but the lessons I’ve learnt have been invaluable. Buildings old and new around the city are truly breathtaking in their own respect. I don’t think we could’ve asked for better Chinese students either as their English is unbelievable and the way they have taken us in and shown us their city has been amazing. In making our documentaries we have discovered how Chinese people view the media and how they would prefer to find out information. This trip has been a once in a lifetime experience and I’ll never forget it” 

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