Recently, two 2016 Yenching Scholars and Cambridge Graduates Ravi Prasad (United Kingdom, University of Cambridge) and Laura Grunberg (Germany, University of Cambridge) shared their experience at the Yenching Academy of Peking University.
If we received 100 RMB for every time we got asked “But why China?”, we would have a small fortune by now. As many of our friends were looking for flats in London or Cambridge upon graduating from Cambridge, we were busy with visa applications and health checks. In many ways, we were not surprised by the apprehension shown by those around us at our choice to move to the Middle Kingdom, to join the Yenching Academy, at Peking University. After all, for many, China remains an enigma, synonymous with pollution, peculiar food and overcrowding. In this short piece, we thus outline what really brought us to Beijing and our life until now.
UNDERSTANDING
China is rich, yet poor. China is ancient, yet full of life. China is opportunity, yet faces a plethora of challenges. China is vast. China is people. China is culture. China is change. China simply cannot be explained with a singular narrative. It is an infinitely complex system of 1.4bn struggles, of 1.4bn aspirations. China’s modernity is a world away from the Westerner’s perception of modernity; yet China’s fate is more than ever tied up with the fate of the rest of the world. Attempting to understand this fascinating country, and witnessing its evolution from within, are our primary reasons for being here. We don’t try to deceive ourselves into believing that we’ll ever fully understand China - indeed, the more time we spend here, the less we realize we know.
ADVENTURE
But aside from seeking a better understanding of China, we also sought to challenge ourselves far from everything familiar. As two Economics/Management graduates, pursuing more conventional routes was tempting; but instead we persuaded ourselves to take a leap of faith and immerse ourselves into a completely new language, culture, society and way of life. Our first two months have vindicated that decision. Not a day goes by when we don’t hear something radically different that alters how we think about our surroundings and our respective interests: financial system reform and innovation in business. Without sounding clichéd, building bridges between nations necessitates a truly worldly mindset and the ability to empathize with different perspectives. It is very difficult to ‘teach’ those skills; but two months of ‘learning by doing’ and ‘learning by being’ has already shown us how much of a disconnect there is between perceptions of China and the realities that constitute this fascinating country.
THE ACADEMY
Our new home, Peking University, founded in 1898, has been at the forefront of social and economic change in China since its founding. The Yenching Scholarship follows this tradition, by bringing together talented individuals from around the world to foster a powerful global dialogue. Becoming part of such a remarkable group of intelligent and motivated young people who seek to understand China and the world a little better, and to use their knowledge to make a positive difference both locally and globally, was no small factor in choosing to come here. We have a myriad of opportunities to partake in cutting-edge research, conferences, networking events and student initiatives that can effect change on campus and beyond.
Life has therefore been a wonderful whirlwind of new experiences, ideas and encounters. It is true that high pollution levels, crowded dining halls, and infinite requests for a picture with the ‘waiguoren’ (foreigner) at tourist sites can be challenging. However, in two months we have already met with Nobel prize winners, ambassadors and business leaders; launched a platform connecting students with trailblazers in Chinese technological innovation; worked with a research group at the forefront of Chinese financial system reform; learnt how to pay everything in both shops and online through the superapps WeChat and Alipay; and traveled from Inner Mongolia to South Korea. It is both the challenges and these incredible opportunities that make this experience unique, the sharing of which has created strong bonds with those around us. Most of all, however, we are seeing the rapid change of this civilization state with our own eyes.
We firmly believe that the kinds of learning and conversations enabled through this program are essential for the common future of our world. It is only by approaching our encounters with humility and an open mind that we can solve issues we face today and will face in the coming decades.
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As an addendum, to our Cambridge friends, Associate Dean John Holden will be hosting a Yenching Academy information session in Cambridge on November 1st. To our non-Cambridge friends, feel free to get in touch if we can be of any help. We’d be honored if some of you wanted to join us on this journey. To learn more about our 2015 and 2016 cohorts of Yenching Scholars, please click here: 2015 and 2016.
