--- Achieving the "most successful Asian Games and Asian Para Games in history" is the Party and the country's entrustment, as well as a showcase of the national image!

--- Just now, Xiangtan Institute of Technology received a thank-you letter from the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games and 4th Asian Para Games Organizing Committee.

--- The letter states: "Your institution, with a highly focused and rigorous attitude, meticulous work style, and a spirit of unity and cooperation, has made outstanding contributions to the successful hosting of the Hangzhou Asian Games and Asian Para Games. Your efforts will be remembered forever."

--- During the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games and 4th Asian Para Games, Xiangtan Institute of Technology, the sole representative from Hunan universities, dispatched 30 volunteers mainly responsible for traffic service support.

--- Some students set a record of serving 197 guests in a single day!

--- They also received more than 40 thank-you letters from athletes of various countries.

--- With excellent offline coordination, English proficiency, and handling various tasks, they earned the approval of the organizing committee, truly achieving zero accidents, zero complaints, and zero delays.

The various support tasks for the Asian Games and Asian Para Games were complex, yet well-organized. Xiangtan Institute of Technology undertook the earliest, widest-ranging, most dynamic, and latest-ending task among all support work.

As the only university volunteer team from outside Zhejiang Province, they provided enthusiastic, professional, and thoughtful services, not only enhancing their individual professional capabilities and ability to handle large-scale events but also showcasing the vibrant youth of the new era from Hunan to the whole of Asia and the world.

"We Escort the Asian Games"

On the afternoon of August 11, President Yuan Libin of Xiangtan Institute of Technology received a call from Geely Group. According to the requirements of the Hangzhou Asian Games Traffic Support Group, Geely Group would provide 2,000 vehicles, over 2,000 drivers, and traffic support at 6 offline dispatch points for free during the Asian Games. They urgently needed 30 volunteers to cooperate with related work.

Serving the Asian Games is a significant responsibility, and the mission is honorable! During the summer vacation, the school immediately recruited volunteers campus-wide. The students were enthusiastic, and within an hour, more than 300 students signed up. After layers of selection, 30 volunteers were selected from the fourth-year students of the 2020 class. After approval from the Asian Games Organizing Committee, these students were classified as Class C volunteers, officially formed a team, and entered a tense phase of learning and training.

On September 11, Xiangtan volunteers arrived in Hangzhou. In the afternoon, they immediately went to the hotels where athletes and guests stayed, shuttled to and from the Asian Games Village, carefully inspected and communicated the connecting routes, familiarized themselves with the work processes and tasks, ensuring the provision of safe, efficient, and convenient traffic support services.

"Traffic support for major events is crucial, directly affecting the satisfaction of athletes from various countries, and it concerns the national image. I realize that this job is not easy, and I also understand the responsibility I bear," said volunteer Zhang Lin. The traffic support volunteer activity for the Hangzhou Asian Games represents the image of the country and the school. "Integrate knowledge with action, strive for perfection," this is our school motto and should also become the code of conduct for every student at Xiangtan Institute of Technology.

"Organizing each received order, dispatching each vehicle, coordinating each driver, ensuring that each guest can board the vehicle and reach the destination on time. Each link in between is crucial, and there can be no mistakes," Zhang Lin quickly became proficient in his work.

They achieved the feat of "learning the operation process at the service desk once, being able to independently complete a series of actions such as online ordering, notifying orders, contacting drivers, etc., efficiently and accurately. They could familiarize themselves with the bus stops outside the village in advance, prepare to use English guidance, and be the first to step forward to answer questions and provide explanations for guests when needed." The supervisor of the Asian Games Traffic Support Center was deeply impressed by this group of volunteers from Hunan.

"Their eyes are shining."

On the late night of September 17, due to personnel adjustments at the Asian Games Traffic Support Center, all shifts of the Xiangtan volunteer group were uniformly adjusted, and they had to be in place for the early shift the next day! Early the next morning, all students arrived at the new service points on time, ready to face the challenges in high spirits.

At the beginning, guests were mostly curious and puzzled, asking about the services provided at the traffic service desk. The supervisors were also worried, wondering if the two students serving at the Jiangnan Hotel were English majors and could handle the corresponding tasks?

Later, Zhang Zhaoyang from the Computer Science 2024 class set a record of serving 197 guests in a single day, and Li Mengting from the Accounting 2022 class received the highest volume of car requests.

Fan Wenlin from the Accounting 2025 class, with a small gesture, was reported by the official WeChat account of Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, during the Asian Para Games. BinJamal Mohamed, a technical official in Taekwondo, came to the traffic service desk to inquire about obtaining a mobile SIM card. He learned that the SIM card service had ended yesterday, and he was very anxious. Fan Wenlin immediately contacted the staff of the mobile company, coordinated the card issuance time for the guest, successfully completed the card issuance business, and the guest handwrote a thank-you letter and took a photo with Fan Wenlin.

△ BinJamal Mohamed's thank-you letter to Fan Wenlin

Li Shuting, a member of the 2021 class from the athlete village, said, "The four classmates at our station received more than 120 medals in total, enough to match the 42 countries participating in the Asian Games." It can be seen that the volunteers serve a diverse group of people and a large number of them. Gratitude letters from guests vary in length, and the 30 volunteers received over 40 commendation letters, all recognizing the volunteer's service attitude and quality.

"These kids, I really like them. They are the earliest to arrive and the latest to leave. They are diligent and good at communication. With them around, I feel at ease!" Xu, the supervisor from the Hangzhou Transportation Bureau, held the hand of the leading teacher after the service and expressed affirmation and fondness for the Xiangli Volunteer Team. After the service, she gave each student a bracelet and a ceramic cup, saying, "There is a light in their eyes!"

"It feels like home!"

Tilak Dissanayak from Sri Lanka, a technical official responsible for the shooting event, spoke fluent English at a fast pace. Liu Lu, in receiving him, repeated the information he heard each time, received his nod of confirmation, and then proceeded to the next step to avoid misunderstandings.

When Tilak Dissanayak arrived at the Asian Games technical official village, he asked Liu Lu for help in inquiring about the reimbursement or refund of luggage handling fees. After Liu Lu confirmed with the Asian Organizing Committee, she informed him that the cost would be borne by the individual, and he gladly accepted it.

On the third evening, Tilak Dissanayak came to Liu Lu to inquire if there were any large shopping malls nearby. He wanted to buy Chinese mobile phones, clothes, souvenirs, etc. Liu Lu recommended Hubei Yin Tai Plaza and provided directions, explaining it to him in English.

On the evening of October 1st, Tilak Dissanayak came to inquire about the shuttle information for the flight on the 2nd, asked the question, walked away, and then came back. He took out two cute pendants from his bag and gave them to Liu Lu. He also handed her the unused transportation card and solemnly presented her with a Sri Lankan badge. Finally, he signaled Liu Lu to take out pen and paper and wrote a sincere thank-you letter on the spot, thanking the volunteers for their strong support, making him feel the warm and friendly atmosphere of the Asian Games, just like home.

△ Tilak Dissanayak's handwritten thank-you letter

Although the front-line job of traffic service is limited to vehicle dispatching, their work extends beyond that, solving various problems for athletes and guests: printing materials, checking routes, arranging schedules, etc.

On the night of October 27, a guest from the Weightlifting Committee named Amna came to the traffic service desk to inquire about changing her flight. She wanted to fly directly from Hangzhou to Dubai. After understanding her urgent needs, volunteer Fan Wenlin reported to the supervisor, helped the customer obtain the email address for changing flights, and informed her of the details of the change. On the night of the 28th around 9:50 PM, Amna planned to order a ticket and asked Fan Wenlin for help with the mobile phone purchase. However, due to various reasons such as Alipay not being supported, the purchase failed. Fan Wenlin and the supervisor urgently contacted the Asian Games Organizing Committee Ticketing Center. After more than two hours, it was already early in the morning, and finally, they helped the customer complete the ticket purchase and urgently arranged a shuttle bus from Hangzhou to Shanghai Pudong Airport.

Amna is a technical official from the Weightlifting Federation and used to be a weightlifting athlete. She happily lifted Fan Wenlin with one hand and thanked everyone at the service desk. She said that before coming to China, she was a bit worried, but after this trip to China, she felt that the Chinese people were very friendly and lovely. Seven or eight foreign guests present also gave a thumbs-up to the volunteers and loudly said "Thank you" in Chinese.

The Asian Games and the Asian Para Games have successfully concluded. As stated in the thank-you letter from the organizing committee, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, this edition of the Asian Games and Asian Para Games fully demonstrated "Chinese characteristics, Asian style, and splendid diversity," achieving the title of "the most successful Asian Games and Asian Para Games in history." All of this would not have been possible without the diligent efforts of every volunteer.

Thirty volunteers from Xiangtan Institute of Technology of Technology worked tirelessly for 20 consecutive days, with two shifts each day starting at 7 a.m. for the morning shift and ending at 10 p.m. for the evening shift. At the service point in the Asian Games Village, students had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. every day, take three subway transfers, and walk for more than 20 minutes to arrive on time at their workstations, coinciding with the start of various competitions for athletes in the morning. After finishing work at 10 p.m., returning to the dormitory often meant arriving in the late hours of the night. During the Asian Games, to ensure food safety, everyone had to eat the box lunches arranged by the organizing committee. Due to the accommodation shortage in Hangzhou during the Asian Games, many volunteers stayed in rooms without windows. Zhang Jiangkai's face was covered with acne due to the hot and humid weather, but he didn't pay attention to these things.

Not a mere glimmer, but a shining torch.

"Watching foreign friends reach various destinations smoothly with my help in an unfamiliar environment, whether for competition or rest, made me feel the meaning and value of volunteer service!"

△ Volunteer Wang Feihuang with athletes

"The work I did may be a small part, similar to many other volunteers and staff. It is the accumulation of these small streams into the vast sea that jointly achieved the complete success of the Hangzhou Asian Games. Thanks to the school's recommendation, thanks to the international platform provided by the Asian Games, and gratitude to our great era!" This is how volunteers express their personal growth and change.

△ The Asian Organizing Committee awards certificates to volunteers for the 19th Asian Games and the 4th Asian Para Games in Hangzhou

△ Group photo of Xiangtan Institute of Technology of Technology's Asian Games volunteers after returning to school

Excerpts from volunteer testimonials:

1. Xie Ting, Business English Class of 2022

During the Asian Para Games, I transferred to the comprehensive department for publicity and reporting. I interviewed an outstanding journalist from Jiangsu, who settled in Hong Kong in 2008. She was born with the inability to walk and had to rely on a wheelchair, but as a disabled elderly person in her sixties, she still worked hard in her beloved journalism career, running to various venues every day for recording and interviews. I admire her spirit very much. Athletes in the Asian Para Games endure greater physical discomfort and mental pressure than ordinary people, but their resilience and tenacity repeatedly impress everyone. Volunteer service is both "helping others" and "self-help," both "pleasing others" and "pleasing oneself"! I realized that being needed is the greatest happiness.

2. Fan Wenlin, Accounting Class of 2025

Being present at this grand event, I not only experienced the confidence and national pride of being a Chinese but also, through backstage service, deeply felt the difficulty of successfully hosting this grand event. I genuinely felt happy and proud that I could contribute a small part of myself to the events of the Asian Games and Asian Para Games. When the supervisors confidently said, "I am confident in handing things over to you," and foreign guests smiled and said "thank you!" I felt that everything was worthwhile.

3. Li Shuting, Human Resources Management Class of 2021

During the Asian Games, I served in the athlete's village, mainly responsible for VIP T3 transportation. I often received inquiries about the allocation of vehicles from various national delegations. In the offline dispatch position in the athlete's village, Uzbekistan's delegation had more inquiries about vehicle use. Uzbek athletes couldn't speak English, and we couldn't speak Uzbek, and the translation software available didn't have Uzbek voice translation. They also couldn't input Uzbek via phone. So, communication was impossible. Later, I came up with an idea and found one of my classmates, a Xinjiang native of the Kazakh ethnic group, who was a student at the China People's Police University near the border. He used the phone to communicate almost barrier-free with Uzbek athletes, perfectly solving the vehicle consultation. Volunteer activities during the Asian Games tested our familiarity with business conditions, language communication abilities, and problem-solving capabilities.

4. Liu Lu, English Class of 2022

During the volunteer service, I met many volunteers from different countries and regions. We shared joy, shared difficulties, and grew together. Through communication with them, volunteer service at the Asian Games made me deeply realize the importance of teamwork. I am fortunate and grateful to have good teachers' guidance and encouraging friends. In practice, I gradually grew from initially being somewhat afraid to communicate with guests in a foreign language, not being accustomed to working with strangers, etc., to facing unexpected difficulties calmly, confidently, and gracefully, and gradually acquiring good communication and coordination skills.

5. Wei Jinfeng, Finance Class of 2021

On October 25, 2023, taekwondo technical official Olaf Hansen came to the Asian Games transportation information service desk, inquiring about the schedule of shuttle buses to various venues. Although he was in urgent need, his speech and demeanor were very elegant, which made me feel the guest's courtesy. After learning that he was in a hurry to attend a meeting at the badminton venue, considering that all the shuttle buses had already departed, the transportation service information desk activated emergency vehicles and took him to the badminton venue. Because I carefully and accurately answered various questions during this process, when he returned from the venue, he specially came to the transportation service desk and gave me a thank-you letter, once again making me feel his sincerity. He expressed great love for China. As a volunteer, we not only provide services but also convey confidence and warmth, and represent the image of China. When I show the best side of myself to others, I also gain satisfaction and joy from it.