In the warm breeze of Beijing’s autumn, the new cohort of Yenching Scholars arrived at Peking University, full of expectations for the coming years. The campus lit up with vitality and sweetness from every single “hello” to every single infectious smile. Together, the new cohort will begin to inscribe their own stories on campus.

On September 1, Yenching Academy received its 2025 Cohort coming from all around the world, who will embark on a journey to navigate new charts of knowledge and life.

Orientation Session

On the morning of September 2, the 110 new YCA Scholars attended the orientation session held at B101, Second Gymnasium.

YCA Associate Dean Brent Haas delivered the opening speech, welcoming the new 2025 Cohort. He introduced the Academy’s leadership and faculty members to the students. After giving a brief introduction of China’s higher education system, Associate Dean Haas detailed the Academy’s academic affairs, including talent cultivation, curriculum, and mentorship. Moreover, he laid an emphasis on the code of academic integrity, reminding our Scholars to comply with academic regulations and uphold academic ethnics.

YCA Associate Dean Fan Shiming introduced the Academy’s master program for China Studies, including the Academy’s mission and vision, tracks, the countries of our international students, and international exchange programs. He hoped that the new Scholars will tap into their full potential over the coming two years and make breakthroughs in both academic and personal development.

YCA Assistant Dean Chen Changwei talked about the Academy’s student affairs, including campus life, leadership programs, extracurricular activities, and career development. He explained what the class meant to students and teachers and highlighted that all the Scholars should follow the Academy’s rules and regulations. Chen hoped that every student would soon feel at home in the family-like class and work together to make it even better.

Academic Affairs Briefing

The Academy held an academic affairs briefing on the evening of September 2. Du Tao laoshi, Deputy Head of Curriculum and Scholarship made a thorough introduction of the Academy’s program setup, course requirements, and academic resources. Du laoshi explained what is and how to make “good selection of courses” through specific examples. Zhou Siyuan laoshi, Deputy Head of Curriculum and Scholarship gave details of the Academy’s scholarships and exchange programs, including scholarship types, requirements and selection criteria, as well as how to apply for a YCA-partner university under the exchange programs. Zhou laoshi also gave tips for study and life during an exchange. Wang Rong laoshi, Head of Degree and Student Status clarified the Academy’s regulations on student status, dissertation, degree-awarding, and the mentorship program, describing the student-mentor communication expectation and the mentor’s role in student development.

Class Meeting

Our newcomers met at their first class meeting on the afternoon of September 3. The class advisors shed light on the class bond and the class advisor’s constant presence and supportive role. They also gave tips for study and life in the multicultural environment at the Academy. The class advisors expected that all the students could take part in the campus activities and forge a shared memory of their days at YCA. In addition, class advisors elaborated on the functions of the Academy’s offices, PKU rules and regulations, and on safety issues, helping the new students integrate into the campus life. Our Residential Assistants (RA) brought brilliant ice-breaking games, in which the new fellow students got familiar with each other through team work.

First Class at YCA

On the morning of September 4, Gou Juan laoshi, YCA’s Academic Affairs Officer accompanied our international students to their first class at YCA. Together with all the other international students at Peking University, our international Yenching Scholars learnt the regulations on the exit and entry of foreign students and other related laws and regulations. In the afternoon, the Chinese Yenching Scholars joined their fellow Chinese graduate students at Peking University to their first class at the university. In addition to an academic orientation, the students were also briefed on the cultural legacy of Peking University’s history. With this first class, our students gained a clear view of their mission, growth and development.

My China Story

On the afternoon of September 4, Associate Dean Brent Haas gave a lecture “My Chinese Learning”. He reflected on his personal experience with and in China, which may date back to his Chinese learning at Georgetown University. Detailing his methods and schedule for Chinese learning, Haas noted that there is never a shortcut for learning Chinese. One must dedicate himself to intensive training. Drawing upon his own experiences, the Associate Dean gave specific suggestions for Chinese learners whose proficiencies may vary. He laid emphasis on perseverance, peer learning and student-teacher communication in Chinese learning. He assured that all efforts would be rewarded.

Library Tour

On the afternoon of September 4, Peking University Library and its Yenching Academy Branch co-sponsored a library services orientation session. Librarians introduced the collection locations, database access, and literature search service, and demonstrated how to use library facilities. Fu Juzheng laoshi from PKU Library’s Collaborative Service Center gave our Scholars a guided tour of the university library, where the students had an immersive experience for the borrowing, research, and digital academic services.

 Campus Safety and Health

On the evening of September 4, the 2025 Cohort joined together for “Campus Health, Safety and Insurance” and first-aid training. Residential Assistant Zhao Guantong from the 2024 Cohort briefed the 2025 Cohort on medical insurance and reimbursement, as well as medical visit procedure. Zhang Yi from the 2024 Cohort introduced how to seek services from the counseling practices at the University and the Academy. Wu Haofeng, lecturer at the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) Programs and Director of Sinoaid Health Promotion Center provided a systematic overview of CPR and on-campus first-aid skills, helping our Scholars become better prepared for an emergency.

PKU Convocation

On the morning of September 5, Peking University held the convocation for its 2025 Cohort at the May Fourth Stadium, welcoming the new PKUers from all over the world. Both Chinese and international Yenching Scholars of the Cohort attended the ceremony, which kicked off in the solemn sound of the national anthem. Together with their fellow students, our 2025 YCA Scholars sang the alma mater and put on the school pin, embarking on their new journey as PKUers.

“Consent and Boundaries” Workshop

On the morning of September 5, the 2025 Cohort attended the “Consent and Boundaries” workshop. Dr Michelle Lu-Ferguson, President of Ferguson Health and Lorraine Le, trainer from Ferguson Health delved into related issues from their professional perspectives, providing knowledge to build safety, harmony, and mutual respect on campus. Associate Dean Haas detailed the related rules in the Academy’s code of conduct.

Dean’s Lecture

On the afternoon of September 5, YCA Dean Dong Qiang joined the 2025 Cohort and delivered a “custom-made” lecture on the Chinese language. It was the inaugural lecture for the Topics in China Studies Lecture Series for the 2025‒26 academic year. In his lecture, Prof Dong elaborated on the characteristics of the Chinese language, its history and culture, and its infinite potential. He began with detailing some key features of the Chinese language, such as being a dual “signifier” system. The professor emphasised on the interrelation between the Chinese culture and the Chinese language, which has enormous capacity for self-renewal and evolution. Through a couple of examples, Dean Dong illustrated why the Chinese language is a source of inspirations for art and cross-cultural thinking. He called for contributions from our Scholars to enhance the Chinese language’s humanistic values and global influence in this AI-dependent age.

Meeting the Mentors

On the afternoon of September 5, the 2025 Cohort met their mentors at Jingyuan Courtyard 4. The 18 teachers invited to the meeting would be academic mentors for the Cohort, providing guidance and help for students in academic and research development. The meeting had subgroups, including Politics and International Relations, Economics and Management, Law and Society, Literature and Culture, History and Archelogy, Religion and Philosophy. The mentors first briefed on their research areas. Following after, the students raised questions based on choosing a supervisor, research topic selection, and research approaches. They were also curious about how to win over the desired supervisor in the matching process. Effective communication with the supervisor was another concern for our Scholars. The teachers suggested that students conduct the inquiry-based research on the topics that truly interest them, and laid emphasis on making full use of library resources. The teachers also suggested finding interesting, feasible research topics in field study. They recommended that our Scholars prepare questions before their regular meeting with their supervisors, so that they can receive targeted guidance and effective support from the supervisors. The teachers recalled their own university days, where they translated interests into research topics and were benefited from supervisors’ instructions. Our Scholars found the teachers’ experience helpful for their future study.

GSU Reception

On the evening of September 5, the GSU Executive Committee held a welcome reception for the 2025 Cohort at the atrium of Second Gymnasium. During the reception, the GSU first introduced its organisation and function. The first-year Scholars got to know each other better and grew closer in the talent show and ice-breaking games. Also, they began to forge a sense of belonging as YCAers.

Prof Lu’s Remarks

On the afternoon of September 6, Prof Lu Yang, Director of Graduate Studies of Yenching Academy joined our Scholars and reflected on his academic career. The professor held great expectations for our Scholars, encouraging them to remain true to their own interests and derive valuable research topics from their interests. Prof Lu also provided suggestions and advice on course selection and academic plan, helping our first-year Scholars better prepare for possible challenges in the new stage of study and life. The professor and students delved into issues concerning curriculum and academic schedule.

Hutong Tour

On the afternoon of September 12, Associate Brent Haas threw a tea party paired with a “Walking into Beijing” talk, sharing his two decades’ life and experience in the city. He gave tips for many highly recommended blocks, hutongs, and cultural venues in Beijing. After the tea party, our RAs led the students to immerse themselves in the “labyrinth” of hutongs. They became “treasure-hunters” in the Houhai and adjacent areas, including the Bell Tower and Drum Tower, to explore and “dig out” the city’s archaic charms in its modern cityscape fabrics.

Go! Cohort 2025!

The orientation week marked the beginning of a new stage of life and study for our first-year Scholars. We hope that they will rise to the challenges and navigate the unknown, with their inspiration, aspiration, and perspiration. Go, Cohort 2025!