Bridging Cultures: Sunderland University Hosts Speed Friendmaking Event by Chinese, Malaysian, and Indonesian Societies
Written by Jiarui Liang on 13th November 2024
The Chinese, Malaysian, and Indonesian Societies’ Speed Friendmaking event encouraged student connections on November 11 at Sunderland’s CitySpace.
C.I.Y Food Store provided soft drinks and speciality snacks, including vegetarian-friendly choices, for the event participants.
To encourage social interaction, organisers provided topic note boxes to help participants initiate conversations. As they enjoyed the special snacks, they also had the opportunity to make friends with new people from different cultural backgrounds.
Yihan Wang, President of the Chinese Society, said: “It’s provided an opportunity for participants to make friends.” She added, “Through collaborating with other societies, the Chinese Society could reach a wider audience and continue its efforts to revive the society.”
Jade Chia, the president of the Malaysian Society, said: “As the Malaysian society was recently revamped, this cross-cultural collaboration event was a great opportunity for us to promote and showcase our society.”
The President of the Indonesian Society supports the initiative and contributes to its success.

The Cultural Director of the Chinese Society wrote Chinese names for participants. Photo Credits: Chinese Society photographer Jian Wan

Snacks provided by C.I.Y Supermarket were sponsored for this event. Photo Credits: Chinese Society photographer Jian Wan

Participants playing Jenga at the event. Photo Credits: Chinese Society photographer Jian Wan

Group of participants chatting together. Photo Credits: Chinese Society photographer Jian Wan
Yunru Wan, the Culture Director of the Chinese Society, wrote the Chinese names for the participants through calligraphy to showcase the unique charm of Chinese traditional culture.
Yunru said: “As a user of Chinese characters, I must show the real Chinese characters to everyone.”
When asked to prepare for calligraphy, he said, “I have done this kind of activity many times. For me, this is a normal thing.”
Shafiza Shakira, a pharmacy student from Malaysia, said:“ The most memorable part for me was seeing how quickly people bonded despite coming from different countries. I look forward to more experiences like this to expand my network and friendships.”
This collaboration successfully reaches the event’s goal of fostering connections between members and non-members of the Chinese, Malaysian, and Indonesian societies, allowing participants to share and learn from each other’s cultures.
For more updates on upcoming events, follow the Chinese Society, Malaysian Society, and Indonesian Society.