On the morning of September 6, 2025, the newest 11th cohort of Scholars were warmly welcomed to the Yenching Academy of Peking University with an inspiring opening ceremony at the Qiulin Auditorium. One hundred and ten intellectually curious and enthusiastic students gathering from all around the world were eager to begin a new chapter of their journey of China Studies here in Peking University, one of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions.
The distinguished guests who appeared at the Opening Ceremony were the Honorary Dean of Yenching Academy Yuan Ming, Dean of Yenching Academy Dong Qiang, Founder of the Muyun Music Foundation and renowned erhu player and vocalist Ms. Cheng Lin, Associate Dean and Associate Professor in Education Policy and Management at the Graduate School of Education Hai Wei, Associate Deans Fan Shiming and Brent Haas, Director of graduate studies Lu Yang, Assistant Dean Chen Chengwei, and academic counsellor Dr. Yang Feng.
Yenching Academy’s opening ceremony began with a beautiful performance from members from the Muyun Jazz Music Camp, setting the scene for the opening ceremony on a high note. This performance enhanced the joyous atmosphere filling the auditorium with smiles as the audience responded with warm applause and visible excitement.
Building on this momentum, the welcome video was showcased featuring four Yenching Academy Scholars; Ashleigh Johann Curry-Machado 10th cohort, Colin Chung 9th cohort, Olufunke Grace Odunlami 10th cohort and Wang Xiru 10th cohort, sharing their experiences from their favourite YCA courses to their biggest culture shocks they have experienced in China. The ceremony video ended with the students sharing their advice to the new cohort in how to embark on this journey and make the most of it.
In Associate Dean Brent Haas’s opening remarks, he offered guidance to the new cohort, emphasising that they should ‘proceed with intention’ and set meaningful goals, while also highlighting that the most effective approach is to combine intentionality with flexibility. Brent Haas emphasised that engaging with people from diverse backgrounds provides fresh perspectives, and through learning from these perspectives, it can inspire adaptability.
He then went on to describe how their personal experiences will evolve over the next two years, noting that "your experience here in YCA is as part of the 11th and 10th cohort this year." He explained that the dynamic would shift in the second year when the new 12th cohort arrives, positioning them into a senior role within the program. Haas wrapped up his speech with a jazz-inspired metaphor, saying, "The flexibility comes when you improvise within that structure."
Associate Dean and Associate Professor Ha Wei began his speech with the advice to: “Open your eyes and ears, open your mind, open your heart, and open up new possibilities.”
Ha Wei further explained his advice by how opening your eyes and ears to the culture, changes happening in China, hear the stories of the people you meet by listening deeply and one will allow one to discover insights that books could not teach you alone. By opening your mind to new ways of thinking, opening your heart to friendships across cultures, and learn from those whose experiences are different from yours, allows one to build collaboration which is founded on trust, respect and understanding. Opening up new possibilities by applying what you learn at Yenching Academy to real-world challenges and building bridges across borders, one can open up new possibilities that can help turn the vision of a better future into reality. Ha Wei continued to explain how this openness would not only enrich one’s studies, but also prepare one to become a global leader and make an impact in the world.
Subsequently, Danel Van Mensel shared his insights on behalf of the 11th cohort.
Danel commenced by explaining that in today’s world, China is becoming increasingly important on the global stage, and to truly understand the country, one must live, learn and listen here. While China may be foreign to many, certain aspects evoke a sense of home for example, Peking University canteens, where a mix of voices, accents, and traditions remind him of his family dinner table. Being in the Law & Society track, he hoped not only to explore how rules and rights evolve in our rapidly changing and unpredictable world, but also to learn from others; to learn how a historian reads the past, how a political scientist interprets power and how a poet captures truth. Danel concluded his speech with a Chinese proverb:千里之行，始于足下-A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Dong Qiang swiftly followed to encourage the new Scholars with three pieces of advice:
First, integrate yourself and foster cross-border integration within Yenching Academy. Every time one opens one’s heart to a classmate, one takes a new step toward cultural integration.
Second, pay attention to current affairs and the development of China and the world. With the world being complex and ever-changing, Dong emphasises how we stand at a critical crossroad of a global transformation. With many established values being challenged and new values emerging, reflection and critical thinking is vital in navigating the new tides of change.
Third, unite knowledge and action. Dean Dong lastly explains how throughout history, countless educational theories and practices have emerged giving the example of Zhi Xing He Yi, the unity of knowledge and action. From Wang Yangming to Tao Xingzhi, Chinese philosophers and educators have emphasised the complementary, interdependent relationship between knowledge and practice.
Renounced erhu musician and one of the founders of Muyun Society and the Muyun Music Foundation, Ms. Cheng Lin delivered the keynote speech opening with a reflection on her upbringing in an artistic family: both her parents were involved in traditional Chinese performing arts -her father as a drummer and director, her mother as a singer and composer. This environment profoundly shaped her perception of and passion for art emphasising that, for her, music is not only a discipline to be mastered but also a means of communicating with higher dimensions. At the age of thirteen, Ms. Cheng gained fame by performing the song “小螺号”, xiǎo luó hào, becoming a beloved singer among the Chinese public. Ms. Cheng noted that through years of international performances and exchanges, she felt that despite , in language and cuisine, human emotions are universally shared. Seven years ago, she founded the Muyun Music Foundation to support young musicians in their studies and creative endeavours, continuing the mission of combining art with social service. In closing, Ms. Cheng especially encouraged the international students at the Yenching Academy to make the most of their time studying in China through learning Chinese, immersing themselves in Chinese culture and cuisine, thus becoming future bridges for mutual understanding between nations.
The Yenching Academy Opening Ceremony 2025 set the stage for a year dedicated to cross-cultural communication, exploration of China, and global engagement. Through inspiring words addressed to the new cohort, the Scholars were encouraged to embrace the journey ahead, seize every opportunity, and take comfort in the support of the Yenching community. As the ceremony concluded, the Scholars departed with a renewed sense of purpose and eager anticipation for the opportunities that lie ahead.
