On a winter afternoon of December 27, 2018, the weather in Shenzhen is sunny and warm as spring. World famous tennis player and five-time Grand Slam singles champion Maria Sharapova visit SMBU and have cordial exchanges with teachers and students from SMBU.
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In a good mood, Sharapova takes photos with her finger pointing to a gleaming five-pointed star at the top of the main building of SMBU. Then, she says: "as I played this tournament last year, we saw this huge building just behind the stadium going up and I was wondering what it was because I notice the star and I connect it to the University in Moscow. It happens to be an association with the University. Therefore, I am really happy to see it all built and new and I am proud to be here with a lot of the students. The building is beautiful and I think it is going to be an iconic a statue, an iconic building. What is inside represents a lot of the culture, literature, and education that so many students around the world strive for”.
Built with a strong Russian architectural style, the main building of SMBU is located at the permanent campus of the University in Longgang District, Shenzhen with a total of 21 floors and 156.4 meters in height. The construction of the permanent campus of SMBU is going smoothly and entering its last stage - interior decoration. In 2019, SMBU will move into its permanent campus according to schedule.
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Sharapova gives a tennis ball with her autograph as a present to SBMU. In return, a set of porcelain titled "Pearl of the Sea" is given to Sharapova by SMBU. She also takes photos with the teachers and students of SMBU with great interests.
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After the event, Sharapova accepts an interview with reporters from China Central Television and other media.