Members of a delegation from Australia’s Curtin University visit the Nanshan Energy Ecological Park yesterday.Lin Songtao

Wang Jingli

wangjingli0715@163.com

TWENTY-ONE undergraduate students majoring in architecture and two teachers from Australia’s Curtin University visited Nanshan District yesterday to gain insight into the district’s smart urban development.

The delegation’s first stop was the Nanshan Experimental Education Group’s OCT High School, where the visitors and some of the school’s students took part in a smart campus construction exchange workshop. They also toured the campus and discussed how to improve campus facilities and design.

While visiting a relaxing space near the campus playground, Australian students asked about the area’s purpose and students’ exercise habits and offered suggestions for improving the space to better serve students.

A corridor’s round space reminded Australian students of the Indigenous Australian yarning culture, where people gather in circles to share stories and ideas. Inspired by this tradition, they suggested turning the space into an area for students to chat and connect by adding chairs and benches arranged in a circle.

Ayla Woodland discussed the importance of cultural exchanges. “I was really excited to meet local students here, and we had a lot of fun together. Sharing ideas and seeing how we can integrate them to create a new and unique experience are fantastic,” said Woodland.

Gao Yunhan, a student at OCT High School, said the workshop produced valuable improvement suggestions.

Lee Syminton, a senior lecturer at Curtin University, stated, “This event helps our students build connections with Chinese students and understand how other cities in the world work.”

Syminton said she was impressed by the Nanshan school’s mental health rooms — something not available at her school — as well as the cutting-edge science facilities.

The delegation also visited the Nanshan Energy Ecological Park and Steel Structure Museum in the district. After exploring the city’s advanced waste incineration facilities, Woodland remarked that it is a valuable lesson for Australia to learn from.

For many delegation members, this was their first visit to Shenzhen and even China. Ethan Leibowitz, a final-year student at Curtin University, shared that he was impressed by the city’s skyscrapers and widespread use of electric vehicles.

Syminton said, “Shenzhen is amazing. I just can’t believe how amazing it is to have one place where everything gets to be new and cutting-edge, where you get to try things out, where there’s such a spirit of innovation and trial and experiment.”

“I didn’t know much about Shenzhen before coming here. The city is so clean. The architecture is amazing. It’s so interesting to see how fast construction happens here,” added Woodland.

The event, part of the “Discover Nanshan” tour organized by the district, aims to foster connections between Nanshan District and western Australia.