(Seria News) Cheong Kwai Kuan, Principal of Seri Mulia Middle School, was recently invited to Henan, China to participate in the 2026 Overseas Red Candle Henan Tour, co-hosted by the China Chinese Education Foundation and the Office of Overseas Chinese Affairs of the Henan Provincial People’s Government, and organized by the Henan branch of China News Service. Together with school principals, board directors, and educators from 16 countries and regions around the world, she engaged in learning and exchange to gain an in-depth understanding of China's education reform, technological innovation, and Chinese cultural development, drawing new ideas for the future educational development of her school.
It is reported that “Overseas Red Candle” is a key overseas Chinese education brand project of the China Chinese Education Foundation. Its purpose is to build an international Chinese education exchange platform, strengthen educational cooperation at home and abroad, and promote high-quality development of Chinese language education in the new era. During the event, participants not only attended specialized lectures, educational seminars, and experience sharing sessions, but also visited the Zhengzhou Airport Citizen Center, Smart Port Computing Center, Henan Century Space Technology Application Company, Yellow Emperor’s Hometown, Confucius Temple, Tagou Martial Arts School, Songyang Academy, Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum, Zhang’s Color Kiln, Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple, Luoyi Ancient City, Chenjiagou Taijiquan Culture Park, Mixue Bingcheng International Industrial Park, Henan University, Henan Museum, Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival Park, and Henan Experimental School Zhengdong Primary School. From the origin of Chinese civilization to modern technological development, from the inheritance of traditional culture to the practice of educational innovation, participants fully experienced the profound cultural heritage of Central China and the vitality of China’s development in the new era.
Cheong Kwai Kuan expressed that the visit to Henan not only deepened her understanding of the direction of China’s educational reforms, but also gave her immersive insights into the trends of artificial intelligence, smart education, and digital teaching. This will provide new inspiration for future curriculum innovation, professional growth of teachers, and international cooperation at her school. She noted that Henan is not only rich in historical and cultural heritage but also demonstrates vibrant development. Whether it is the use of digital technology to empower cultural exhibitions, integrating traditional culture into modern industries, or combining education with innovative technology, it is clear to her how China’s excellent traditional culture is being creatively transformed and innovatively developed in the new era, showing persistent vitality. This also brings new perspectives for overseas Chinese language education on inheriting culture and seeking innovative development.
She said that the essence of education lies in communication and sharing. Especially in an era of rapid AI development, schools should embrace technology proactively and make good use of digital resources, breaking geographical boundaries for classrooms and giving students more diverse and internationalized learning opportunities.
Notably, with the promotion of the China Chinese Education Foundation, Seri Mulia Middle School formally signed the “Cloud Partnership·Journey Together” cooperation agreement with Henan Experimental School Zhengdong Primary School during this exchange event. The two schools became sister schools and, in the future, will carry out long-term cooperation through online dual-teacher classrooms, professional teacher training, teaching seminars, student exchanges, and the promotion of Chinese culture—jointly promoting innovative development in Chinese language education.
Cheong believes that this collaboration not only marks the beginning of friendship between the two schools, but is also an important platform for resource sharing and complementary strengths. In the future, both parties will fully leverage their unique school features, using cloud-based classrooms, teacher peer-learning, student interaction, and cultural exchanges to enable teachers and students from both places to transcend geographical limitations, to learn through communication, and to grow through cooperation.
She stated that, in recent years, Seri Mulia Middle School has actively promoted international educational exchanges, establishing partnerships with several schools in China. Through continuously deepening international cooperation, the school aims to enhance teachers’ professional capabilities, enrich students’ learning experiences, and cultivate a new generation of youths with a solid grounding in Chinese culture, an international outlook, and innovative abilities.
She said: “The greatest gain from participating in the Overseas Red Candle Henan Tour is not just witnessing Henan, but reconnecting with the cultural roots at the source of Chinese civilization and seeing the direction of future educational development. I hope to transform what I have learned during this trip into momentum for the school’s development, continuously improve teaching quality, create a broader development platform for students, and lead Seri Mulia’s education toward new milestones.”