A student from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region undertook a six-week international student internship at the Palace Museum in Beijing last year, triggering a desire to spread more traditional Chinese culture in her home city. Mo Zhiyin studies art history at the University of Hong Kong. She visited the museum, also known as the Forbidden City, for the first time 10 years ago as a tourist.

Mo took part in the Youth Internship Program of the Palace Museum, where she got a closer look at the traditional culture of the site. During the program Mo worked at the Department of Calligraphy and Painting. Arrangements for the display of a famous painting, Thousands of Miles of Mountains and Rivers, produced in Northern Song Dynasty, impressed Mo greatly. “I was honored to take the responsibility and I took advantage of my English abilities when translating the introduction to the painting,” said Mo. “Great changes have taken place in the Palace Museum, with the open area ratio increasing to 80%. Protection of the exhibits and methods of display have also improved,” added Mo. At the end of the International Student Internship, Mo bought some cultural products for her family members.

Nowadays, the Imperial Palace Culture Museum of Hong Kong is being built in the region’s West Kowloon Cultural District.  “I hope more people in Hong Kong can closely learn and experience the traditional Chinese art and culture after it’s open,” said Mo. The international student internship also helped Mo to make friends with peers from China’s mainland. “I am keeping in touch with a fellow student from Guangdong Province, and we make appointments to attend art exhibitions together at times,” she added.

Internship programs are a great addition to your study and if you have the option to do it abroad, why not go for the ultimate internship experience in china!