Come to Maple Leaf, Enjoy the Sea View, Savor the Seafood
Dalian Sea-Opening Season: A Table of "Freshness" for the 2026 New Students
In September, the sea breeze in Dalian dispels the summer heat; the fishing ports along Bohai Bay have reached their liveliest time of the year — the sea-opening season has begun.
At noon on September 6, Dalian Maple Leaf College of Technology moved the "new student welcome" onto the table of the sea-opening season. The 2026 freshmen had just finished the morning's military training and, still in their camouflage uniforms, were invited into a venue filled with the smell of the sea. There were no long speeches, only songs, blessings, and a table of freshly landed swimming crabs and prawns.
Only then did they realize: the first lesson of the semester could be so "fresh."
The Tide Rises: Warming Up with Songs
The celebration began with a song. The students brought the playlists they had saved up during training breaks onto the stage — some sang solo, some in chorus, and when one got tired someone else took over. The audience hummed along, and the atmosphere was hotter than the sea breeze.
Among the singers were those who had been doing goose-stepping drills that very morning and those who had only met the night before. Standing together now, their voices blended, and the unfamiliarity melted away.
The Tide Warms: Conveying Feelings Through Blessings
As the singing faded, Vice President Eilis stepped forward to offer the 2026 freshmen a down-to-earth blessing. No script, no clichés.
He said, Dalian is by the sea, and Maple Leaf is next to the sea. "Come to Maple Leaf, enjoy the sea view, savor the seafood" is not just a slogan, but the first gift this city and this school give to new classmates. Let's shout together — the mountains and sea are beautiful, and Maple Leaf is truly romantic!
The Tide Resounds: Paying Tribute Through Talent
After the blessing, the real "celebration" began. Singing, musical instruments, dance… the students showcased their hidden talents. Some played the guitar and sang "Glorious Years"; others performed classical dance. The program list wasn't long, but every performer on stage had a sparkle in their eyes.
On stage were classmates; in the audience were newly made friends. There were no roll calls by instructors, no perfectly aligned formations — only the liveliness belonging to young people.
The Tide Tastes Fresh: The Seafood Feast
The finale is always the food. At the buffet area, students served themselves with plates, free to choose which crab or how many prawns they wanted. Over the course of one meal, unfamiliar roommates became brothers willing to fight over the same crab, and students from different classes gathered around one table. What brings people closer is never a formal introduction, but peeling shrimp together.
This sea-opening welcome lunch at noon will be remembered by many 2026 freshmen: at Maple Leaf, welcoming new students can be like this — with the sea, with songs, with the vice president's blessing, and with a crab you caught yourself.
Come to Maple Leaf, enjoy the sea view, eat seafood. The first class of university for these new students has already begun with a taste of "fresh." Welcome, Class of 2026. May you, like the sea opening, store up your strength and set forth; live up to this sea, and live up to your own youth.
