The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) has welcomed its new cohort of first-year students—an exceptionally gifted group of Gen-Z learners who blend traditional heritage with modern innovation.
From performing Peking opera to mastering Mongolian throat singing and coding award-winning robots, their talents are as diverse as their backgrounds. Nixi Zhu, an International Communications student, has been performing Peking opera since childhood and hopes to make this classical art form “cool” for her generation. Economics first-year student Ziqi Zong is skilled in khoomei (Mongolian throat singing) and Imaqan, a traditional storytelling art of the Hezhe people—an endangered cultural treasure.
Fellow students Cui Yang and Yunxi Wang bring years of training in ethnic and Chinese dance, viewing movement as a vital bridge for preserving cultural heritage.
Meanwhile, Ruizhe Mao, a Mathematics with Applied Mathematics student, won first prize in the Zhejiang Provincial Robotics Competition. He believes AI should serve society and hopes to explore its applications in smart systems and data science at UNNC.
Others, such as Chenxin Hu—a young author who published her first book in primary school—and Xindi Zhang, a dedicated Wing Chun practitioner, are equally impressive. For them, writing and martial arts are not just hobbies but ways of making sense of the world.
These students represent a new generation: culturally rooted, technologically adapt, and creatively driven. At UNNC, they will find a supportive, international environment where their talents can flourish—both within and beyond the classroom.
Published on 22 September 2025