As spring warms the heart and mind, the Compass+ Empowerment Series hosted by the  International College ran multiple events throughout the 2026 spring semester. Covering emotional expression, cross-cultural adaptation, and aesthetic education, the series supported Chinese and international students to open up, connect with each other, and grow through professional guidance and peer support.

Unlock the Code of Emotions: Express Warmth in Chinese

Kicking off the series, Emotional Translator – The Warmth That Crosses Languages, a group counseling session, was held at the 330 Chinese and International Students Cultural Exchange Center. Led by Tian Bing, a contracted counselor from the Mental Health Education and Counseling Center, Zhejiang University, the event was supported by the SQTP Team of Danqing Academy, which promotes the academic and cultural growth of international students.

Interactive icebreakers quickly built group cohesion. The Emotion Bus activity helped participants identify basic emotions and experience how feelings flow and spread. In the Emotion Trash Can section, students safely released negative emotions, accompanied by listening and understanding from peers. During the Emotional Translator segment, everyone acted out emotions using “Martian language” and body language, conveying feelings accurately without words in a joyful and relaxed atmosphere. The final Flip the Trash Can activity invited students to share coping strategies and offer mutual support. Each participant also received a compiled Chinese–English Emotional Expression Handbook, a handy “emotion dictionary” for daily use.

Like a bridge, the group counseling connected diverse cultural backgrounds and eased individual emotional knots. Guided by professional support, students gained both linguistic and psychological empowerment.

OH-Card Exploration: Connecting in Our Differences

On April 23, Connecting in Our Differences, a cross-cultural group counseling session, took place successfully. Led by Zhang Yixiao, a counselor with a master’s degree in applied psychology from Zhejiang University, the session created a relaxed and open environment where international students shared real-life experiences, confusions, surprises, and growth related to cross-cultural living.

Some told stories of misunderstandings caused by language barriers when first arriving abroad; others shared small frictions from cultural differences; and many recalled how a kind act in an unfamiliar environment had broken down barriers. As the conversation deepened, everyone realized that seemingly unbridgeable differences often stemmed from the lack of a safe space to express themselves. When listening to others’ stories, unfamiliar cultures became understandable and approachable.

Connecting in Our Differences is more than a slogan – it is a gentle practice. Letting go of anxiety about “how we should communicate” helps us reach the real person in front of us.

Cultivate Beauty: Take a Seed and Grow with Spring

On April 24, Cultivate Beauty, an aesthetic empowerment activity, continued the warm momentum. International students from many countries gathered to adopt their own seed, starting a six-week journey of observing and recording life.

At the event, students checked in and received plant kits. Many shared their planting plans right away: some would record daily leaf growth, some planned to capture the first sprout on video, and others intended to keep bilingual diaries about the parallel growth of their plants and their own cross-cultural lives.

The SQTP Team of Danqing Academy explained the six-week recording requirements and submission methods in detail, and shared outstanding works from last year’s participants – images and stories from germination to blooming, filling students with anticipation for the journey ahead.

Cultivate Beauty uses the gentle, slow process of growing plants to help international students practice observation and patience amid busy academic life, capturing traces of life and beauty through images and words.

From emotional translation to cross-cultural dialogue, from group support to caring companionship, the Compass+ Empowerment Series continues to address the growth needs of Chinese and international students. Through professional, warm, and innovative activities, it helps every student thrive and enjoy life at Zhejiang University.

Text: Student Affairs Office

Pic: ICSNMC