The first International Summer Program of the University Consortium of the 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road (UCMSR) took place at XMU from July 20 to August 1, 2019. About 60 undergraduates from 40 universities of 15 countries and regions along the maritime silk road attended the program. Associate Vice President and Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange Tan Shaobin addressed the opening ceremony on July 21. The summer program was organized by the Office of UCMSR Secretariat in partnership with the School of Economics and the Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics, Xiamen University. It was aimed at providing college students from diverse backgrounds and cultures learning experiences and knowledge about China’s economy, culture and history while facilitating people-to-people exchanges, cooperation in areas of inter-university communication, talent cultivation among UCMSR members. Themed "Grasping the Economic Pulse of China", the intensive short-term program mainly consisted of academic lectures, field trips, cultural experiences and workshop activities.