Ma Huiwen felt thrilled and proud when she received a 9th Asian Winter Games Volunteer Service Certificate from the Harbin Institute of Technology.

As the volunteer manager for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, she organized 404 volunteers from HIT to provide 31,979 total hours of service, interpreting the spirit of HIT with meticulous work and passionate dedication.

"I was fortunate to witness the great ice and snow event with all the volunteers," said Ma, a counselor from HIT's School of Future Technology, at the Asian Winter Games Volunteer Theme Conversazione in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on Tuesday. "HIT has empowered urban renewal and ensured the smooth operation of the event with over 20 advanced technologies, which showed the institute's strength behind the Games and greatly ignited our service enthusiasm."

The opening and closing ceremonies have always been the highlight and focus of the Asian Winter Games.

"HIT students account for 63 percent of the volunteers at the opening and closing ceremony venue. Nearly 90 percent of them are from regions outside Harbin," said Ma. "They were involved in important activities, such as ceremonial performances, audience organization and VIP reception, which required the most rehearsals and attracted the most audience and attention. Therefore, they had to give up the opportunity to reunite with their families during Spring Festival."

"It allowed volunteers to feel the warmth of Harbin and showcased HIT's cultural confidence to the world," she said.

Ali Hasan Mumtaz, a doctoral student from Pakistan, also signed up to become a volunteer for the games.

"I have been in Harbin for 10 years, and when I learned that Harbin would host the games, I was curious about how the ice city would convey its passion and culture to the world," he said. "I received great support and help from my teammates, which made me feel the warmth of the city."

"Ice and snow are the language of the world and I hope to become an 'ice and snow messenger' of China-Pakistan friendship, telling the Chinese story to more people," he added.

At the conversazione, Chen Jie, Party secretary of HIT, thanked all volunteers for their work and dedication.

"Volunteering is essentially about serving, but more importantly, it is about self-improvement and self-realization," he said.