On Sept. 20, Dumpling Festival, one of NYU Shanghai’s most beloved student events, was hosted by NYUSH Student Government. Students from all classes gathered in the basement cafeteria for two hours of dumpling-themed activities. When not eating from the variety of 3,000 dumplings Student Government provided, students engaged in games and enjoyed music. The Dumpling Festival is one of NYUSH’s favorite events because it starts the semester off on a happy, and not hungry, note.

NYUSH’s Career Development Center also hosted events for students to kick off the year. A career fair as well as recruitment events both on and off campus have connected students with many different companies. The CDC also produced a Grad School Blast series, highlighting graduate programs at Duke Kunshan and Johns Hopkins Nanjing. They also hosted a France Day, which brought representatives from the four top French business schools to shed some light on education in France.

The best part about the time leading up to Golden Week, a national holiday in China, is the trip planning. Students take advantage of the week off to get out of Shanghai and explore places all over China and Asia. One group of sophomores is taking a Silk Road trip and taking the train all the way out to Western China, stopping in multiple cities along the way. Other students are venturing to Japan and doing a multiple city tour including Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and more. Many people decided to head to South Korea this week as well, from Seoul to the island of Jeju.