At the Fourth National Collegiate Digital Trade Comprehensive Ability Competition, which concluded on Sept 27, Team Torch made an impressive debut in the Silk Road E-commerce Overseas Students track.

The team comprised Russian undergraduate student Fidchenko Tatiana, Chinese student Zhang Yiqiong, and Russian master's student Sadartinova Mariia, all from the Sydney Institute of Language and Commerce (SILC) Business School at Shanghai University.

Demonstrating exceptional innovation and solid professional competence, the first-time participants stood out among nearly 60,000 contestants from over 500 universities nationwide, earning the national third prize.

Organized by the China Academy of Digital Trade at Zhejiang University, this year's competition attracted top business students from across the country. Through this months-long national contest, participants from both home and abroad engaged in collaborative thinking and mutual learning. They discussed hot topics in digital trade and applied analytical models to implement supply chain and logistics management, overseas warehouse strategies, cross-border e-commerce trade, financial forecasting, and risk management.

Competitors designed cross-border e-commerce operations and digital marketing solutions, showcasing exceptional teamwork and innovative thinking. Their success is a testament to the institute's educational approach of integrating multi-dimensional teaching into real business scenarios and promoting teaching through competition.

Beyond testing professional skills, the contest also served as a platform for cross-cultural exchange. Participants were required to conduct the entire roadshow in Chinese, which was a challenge for the international students who are mostly enrolled in English-taught programs. At the same time, this requirement promoted their personal growth and development.

Student reflections

Zhang Yiqiong expressed gratitude to SILC for providing a supportive platform. She also thanked instructor Chen Jun for his dedicated guidance, design suggestions for the roadshow, and advice on incorporating Chinese and Russian cultural elements and attire.

Fidchenko Tatiana was deeply impressed by the team's collective effort to polish the speech and presentation, simulate Q&A sessions, and refine the business model. They went through more than 10 rounds of revisions to achieve the best outcome. In the week leading up to the competition, they refined their work until 2 or 3 am every day. Through this experience, she grasped the significance of applying theoretical knowledge in practice and strengthened her determination to further explore digital trade.

Source: Official WeChat account of SHU College of International Education at "StudyatSHU"