On September 10, 2016, the Yenching Academy at Peking University held its second annual Opening Ceremony to officially launch the academic year and inaugurate the new cohort of Yenching Scholars.
The Ceremony took place in the Auditorium of the Administrative Building at Peking University. John Holden, Associate Dean of Yenching Academy, hosted the ceremony. The Academy welcomed a number of distinguished guests to the Ceremony, including various officials from Embassies of Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, and Switzerland, among others.
Other notable guests were also in attendance. These included Li Yansong, Vice President of Peking University; Deng Ya, Assistant President of Peking University; Wang Bo, Associate Dean of Yenching Academy; Zhang Longxi, Distinguished Professor of Yenching Academy; and Jaime FlorCruz, Beijing Bureau Chief at CNN.
As part of the Ceremony, several distinguished supporters of Yenching Academy presented remarks about the importance of cross-cultural understanding and the role of the Academy in China’s educational future. Speakers included Zhu Shanlu, Chair of the Peking University Council; Fang Jun, Deputy Director-General of International Cooperation and Exchanges at the Ministry of Education; and Liu Jinghui, Secretary-General of the China Scholarship Council Secretariat.
After a musical welcome from the Peking University Students Choir and brief opening remarks, Dean Holden introduced Mr. Zhu Shanlu. Mr. Zhu emphasized the central role of Peking University in Chinese history, and the rich legacy of leadership at the university. “Peking University’s fate is intertwined with the fate of China,” Mr. Zhu said. Today, he said, the university seeks to “combine Chinese culture with Western philosophy and education” in order to “write a great chapter in human history, and the history of China.”
In their subsequent remarks, Mr. Fang Jun and Ms. Liu Jinghui similarly stressed the unique role of Peking University, and particularly the Yenching Academy, in modern Chinese education. While China welcomes hundreds of thousands of foreign students every year, Mr. Fang said, the country has very few elite programs like Yenching Academy. In this way, Yenching Academy is leading the effort to make China a hub of global educationalexcellence. Ms. Liu said she is very proud that so many excellent students have chosen to study at the Yenching Academy. She encouraged every YenchingScholarto seize this opportunity at the Academy toexplorethe fast development of Chinafirst-hand, and to make more friendsfrom around the world.
Professor He Yafei, Distinguished Professor of Yenching Academy and former Vice Foreign Minister of China, spoke on behalf of all the faculty members of the Academy. He pointed out that the Yenching Academy provides a great platform for students to gain a better understanding of China, Chinese culture and the relationshipbetweenChina and the rest of the world. “The founding principle of the Yenching Academy is to cultivate and train new generations of cross-cultural leaders for the future,” Professor He said. “I would like to urge you all to totallyimmerseyourselfinto Chinesesociety.”
Finally, Professor Yuan Ming, Dean of the Yenching Academy,gave her welcome remarks. She first expressed her sincere gratitude to Prof. Zhang Longxi, Prof. Lyu Zhi,and all the faculty members who have devoted themselves to help the Academy grow and develop. She said, “This auditorium has witnessed many important historical moments. There is a long list of the names of the events, and I’m sure that someday this event today will be on the list.”
Dean Yuan also invited three Yenching Scholarstothe stage:Sudarshana Chanda (2016 Yenching Scholar, India, University of Delhi), Chen Qiqi (2015 Yenching Scholar, China, Zhejiang University) and Cody Abbey (2015 Yenching Scholar, United States, Princeton University). Sudarshana Chanda shared her experience and understanding of the spirit of community and “what a group of people can do when they come together.” Although Yenching Scholars come from many different backgrounds, she stressed “we all sharefundamental similaritiesas human beings.” Therefore, Yenching Scholars come here together “to reveal, to foster, and to maintainthe spirit of community.”
Cody Abbeyused a story to introduce the question of what, exactly, defines aYenching Scholar. He encouraged the new cohort to explore and to builduponthis identity in their coming year at the Academy.
Chen Qiqi shared her experience as a Chinese scholar at the Academy over the past year. She said, “No one can say that they know China inside out, only from insiders’ and outsiders’ perspectives. Understanding each other is crucial to today’s world, where conflicts are still taking place.” She also offered her best wishes to all the 2016 Yenching Scholars andexpressed herhopethattheystrive tofind their own answers here.
At the end of the Ceremony, Dean Yuan shared her expectations and encouragement for the new cohort with a classic Chinese poem. “You can enjoy a grander sight, by climbing to a greater height,”she said.All the Scholars recited the poem together with her.
“It’s such a privilege to be a student at Peking University, where so much of Chinese history has taken place,” said Matt DeButts (United States, Amherst College), a 2016 Yenching Scholar. “I just hope someday I can contribute some small part. To be even a footnote would be a tremendous honor.”
Andrew Boyce (New Zealand, Cambridge University), a fellow 2016 Yenching Scholar, was also humbled and impressed by the Ceremony and what it represented. “It was a real honor to meet so many eminent academics, officials, leaders and fellow students,” he said. “Today marked the official beginning of a year-long dialogue between China and the world.” Keshav Kelkar (India, University of British Columbia), a 2015 Yenching Scholar, called the event “a vivid reminder of our shared responsibility as Yenching Scholars to learn about and understand China.”
This year, Yenching Academy is welcoming 124 new Scholars from 41 countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, India, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. After the ceremony, there was a brief reception at the Second Gymnasium on the Peking University campus.
