Dear Yenching Academy Alumni,

We hope this message finds you well.

As part of our ongoing commitment to fostering a strong and engaged community, we are thrilled to continue the Yenching Academy Alumni Enrichment Program in the spring semester of 2025. This program aims to bring back esteemed alumni to our campus, providing a unique opportunity for personal and professional enrichment.

Program Overview:

Eligibility:

1. All Yenching Academy alumni are eligible to apply.

2. Each alumnus may participate once.

3. Special consideration will be given to alumni from the 2019, 2020, and 2021 cohorts who were most severely affected by the pandemic.

4. If you have previously applied and been unsuccessful, you can still use some of the previously submitted materials in your application, provided that your research proposal has not changed.

Program Duration:

1. The upcoming phase will run from March 10th to May 31st, 2025.

2. Each visit must last between 30 to 60 days.

3. Within these stipulations, alumni may begin the visit on any date between March 10th to May 31st, but the visit must end before May 31st.

Visa:

1. F-type visa (single entry).

2. The invitation letter for the visa application will be provided by the Yenching Academy. The alumni accepted by the program must apply for a visa at their local Chinese embassy & consulate with all required materials. Please note that the final approval is at the discretion of Chinese embassies & consulates.

3. Please note that YCA will not reimburse for the visa application fees.

Application Process:

1. No more than five applicants will be selected for the upcoming phase.

2. Application Materials:

                1. Personal Information and Resume

                2. Personal Statement (around 500 words):

                        1. Describe your experience at YCA and beyond.

                        2. Explain your goals in applying for this program.

                        3. Describe your plan for hosting the alumni event(s) and the type(s) of consultation or mentorship you can provide to the current scholars during the office hours.

3. Project Proposal (around 1500 words):

        1. Describe your research plan during the visit.

        2. Outline expected outcomes.

 Admissions Process:

1. Comprehensive review of application materials by the program committee.

2. Selected alumni will be notified by January 8, 2025.

Rights and Benefits for Admitted Applicants:

1. Financial Support

        1. Reimbursement of return trip costs (up to RMB 10,000). Please note that transportation expenses can only be reimbursed for the economic class airfare or train tickets (including high-speed rail tickets and bullet train tickets), but not for bus tickets. Only transportation costs for travel from your work city to Beijing and back to your work city are eligible for reimbursement. Tickets must be purchased in advance, and reimbursement will be provided upon submitting the required documentation after reporting to the office.

        2. Living stipend of RMB 3,000 per month (before tax). Please note that after graduation, each stipend transfer will be taxed according to the Chinese Tax Law.

        3. Accommodation stipend of RMA 4,000 per month (before tax). Please note that alumni will be responsible for their accommodation during the visit since Shaoyuan is fully booked for the 2025 academic year.

2. Access to YCA Library.

3. Access to YCA events, including but not limited to academic lecture series, cultural events, career development events, alumni events, leadership events, and residential events.

4. Right to audit certain courses offered by the Yenching Academy, including but not limited to the China in Transition lecture series and Topics in China Studies lecture series. (If you would like to audit one or more courses, please let us know 4 weeks ahead so that we can have adequate communication with the professors.)

5. Alumni can join the YGS if happened during your visit. For the 2025 academic year, the YGS is currently scheduled to take place from April 17 to 20.

Alumni Enrichment Program Requirements:

1. Completion of an individual research project related to China studies.

2. Regardless of the length of your visit, you will be required to complete one individual research project related to China studies and submit a research report based on your results. This report may be presented in any format of your choosing. Before the end of your visit, you will be required to present your research report.

3. On-duty at the Academy for 16 hours per week.

        1. Alumni are required to be on duty at the Academy 16 hours a week, of which 8 are reserved as open hours for current students to present career- related or academic-related enquiries. The other time can be used to conduct independent research or aid in office work.

        2. Please be aware that being on duty is mandatory obligation for visiting scholars. Not fulfilling this obligation may lead to the termination of the visiting contract.

4. Organization of at least one alumni event.

5. Assistance with YGS if participating.

6. Adherence to the visitation contract.

        1. A visitation contract will be signed between the alumni visiting scholar and Yenching Academy. For the duration of the alumni visit, alumni must strictly abide by the terms of this contract, and any failure to uphold these terms, such as leaving Beijing or China without notifying the office, failing to fulfill duty responsibilities, or not carrying out organizational activities, will result in the termination of the contract. The office reserves the right to cease all stipends or request the return of any disbursed stipends.

        2. Alumni may not undertake another internship or work during this visiting period.

This program provides a unique opportunity to reconnect with the Yenching community, contribute to our academic environment, and advance your research interests. We appreciate your interest in this enriching experience and encourage you to submit your application by December 31, 2024 (Beijing Time), through the following link: https://yenchingacademy.wufoo.com/forms/zw6dxml06fk2vh/.

Late application will not be accepted.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at ycaalumni@pku.edu.cn. We eagerly anticipate the prospect of welcoming you back to Jingyuan.

Sincerely,

Yenching Academy of Peking University