Yun Guohong, president of IMNU, shakes hands with an AU delegate at the Inner Mongolia Normal University and Alfred University Academic Exchange Concert on May 22. [Photo by imnu.edu.cn]

The Inner Mongolia Normal University and Alfred University in New York plan more cooperation in the coming years, said Yun Guohong, president of IMNU, at a recent concert presented by students from both universities.

Professor Fred Bild, a former Canadian ambassador to China, and his wife, together with representatives from AU, also attended the concert on the IMNU campus in Hohhot.

A guzheng (Chinese zither) ensemble from Alfred University, with its members wearing traditional Chinese garments, gave a performance that featured Chinese musical elements, while students from IMNU presented the culture of ethnic groups of the region, including dance and playing of the morin khuur, also called the horse-head fiddle.

Shenandoah, an American folk song and Dance of the Youth, a popular Uygur folk song, were sung by students and teachers from both universities at the end of the concert.

At the invitation of AU, an IMNU delegation will take part in AU’s Confucius Institute Day, scheduled for September. During their American trip, the delegates will have a series of cultural exchange activities, including themed performances, an exhibition of sculpture and an academic lecture.

Further cooperation on academic research and study is still under discussion, Yuan said.