"When I came across the award-winning video, I checked it repeatedly. I couldn’t believe this surprise until I found my work on the official platform," Ma Thi Trang still could not hide her excitement when recalling the moment she won the award. According to her, when Teacher Liu Qidong first recommended her to participate in the competition, she initially declined, saying, "The song was too difficult, and I thought I had no chance at all." But finally, with the teacher’s encouragement, she decided to give it a try.

      To present the best performance, Ma Thi Trang chose to take on the most challenging Chinese-style version of Thousands of Words. The difficulty of the song lies in the need to fluently recite five tongue twisters in one go within the song. From preliminary practice at home during the summer vacation to systematic daily training of "reading lyrics—keeping the rhythm—following the accompaniment" after returning to school, she set herself a small goal every day for more than a month: "Master three or four lines a day without stuttering or off-key." On the last day of submitting the entry under guidance, she recorded alone in the piano room the entire day, just to select the most satisfactory version. She said, "I didn’t want to let down my own efforts, nor did I want to betray the teacher’s trust."

      To present the best performance, Ma Thi Trang chose to take on the most challenging Chinese-style version of Thousands of Words. The difficulty of the song lies in the need to fluently recite five tongue twisters in one go within the song. From preliminary practice at home during the summer vacation to systematic daily training of "reading lyrics—keeping the rhythm—following the accompaniment" after returning to school, she set herself a small goal every day for more than a month: "Master three or four lines a day without stuttering or off-key." On the last day of submitting the entry under guidance, she recorded alone in the piano room the entire day, just to select the most satisfactory version. She said, "I didn’t want to let down my own efforts, nor did I want to betray the teacher’s trust."

      According to Teacher Liu Qidong, Ma Thi Trang not only maintains a diligent and earnest attitude towards her studies, but also has a great passion for various cultural and artistic activities. She once won the Excellence Award in the Sichuan Division of the 6th Chinese Classic Recitation Competition with her excellent language skills; she has stood out in many brand cultural events such as the International Cultural Day; just this month, she even took the stage at the 7th Daliangshan Theater Festival as a leading actress of the cross-cultural theater troupe, participating in the performance of the cross-cultural drama A Dream Under the Southern Bough. Her perseverance in what she loves and earnest efforts every time have finally brought her fruitful rewards.

       When talking about the people who have helped her along the way of studying abroad and growing up, Ma Thi Trang specially mentioned the meticulous guidance of Teacher Wan Qun from the International Department. She recalled that during a group activity, she drew a card printed with "a person and the shadow". She thought it was just like herself in daily life—always facing everyone with a lively and cheerful appearance, but behind this "sunshine", there were pressures and anxieties that she had never easily revealed. "At that time, Teacher Wan gently told me: ‘Don’t force yourself to hold on when you feel you can’t stand it anymore, just like a balloon will burst if the pressure is too high.’ This sentence was like a beam of light, which enlightened me instantly."

       Today’s Ma Thi Trang is no longer as "eager for quick results" as she used to be, but has learned to view growth from a long-term perspective. "Just like learning Chinese and practicing singing, progress may not be immediate, but as long as we keep going step by step, we will eventually see the rewards that belong to us." Her transformation is also a vivid epitome of the achievements of the International Department’s distinctive cultivation of international students.

       In recent years, International Department of College of Chinese & ASEAN Arts has continuously explored and innovated in the cultivation of international students, actively developed new paths for distinctive talent training, and deeply integrated Chinese learning with multiple elements such as national conditions cognition, drama performance, song singing, and classic recitation, expanding students' comprehensive quality from multiple dimensions including language ability, cultural literacy, and practical skills. Through personalized teaching guidance and hierarchical curriculum design, it consolidates the Chinese foundation for international students and tailors ability improvement plans for them; at the same time, it builds practical platforms for students, actively guides international students to participate in various international exchange activities and high-level competitions, enabling international students like Ma Thi Trang to both accumulate themselves in learning and show their talents in practice, truly achieving the talent training goal of "solid Chinese proficiency, excellent professional skills, and cultural integration".

      In the future, the International Department will continue to optimize the teaching system, enrich practical platforms, create a better learning and growth environment for international students, help more international students shine in cross-cultural exchanges, and contribute "Chengdu University strength" to Chinese-foreign language communication and cultural mutual learning.