Dear Alumni,
Greetings from Beijing!
On July 7, we marked Minor Heat (Xiǎoshǔ), the 11th solar term in the traditional Chinese calendar. As summer rains shift northward and the city prepares for Fútiān—the hottest days of the year—campus slows its pace, giving us a quiet moment to look back and connect with our global community. Wherever you are, we hope you’re staying cool, recharged, and enjoying the season!
Here’s your midsummer update from YCA:
Cross-Cultural Leadership Program
During the Spring 2026 semester, YCA launched the Cross-Cultural Leadership Program, a new student development initiative designed to help scholars navigate leadership in an increasingly interconnected and complex world. Open to both Yenching Scholars and students across Peking University interested in cross-cultural exchange, the program integrates academic lectures, institutional visits, and direct dialogues with practitioners and young professionals.
As part of this initiative, scholars visited Xidan The New and Langyuan Station for an immersive site visit and sharing session with YCA alumna Wang Yining (China, 2023 cohort), Co-founder & COO of LookTook. During the visit, scholars explored topics ranging from urban renewal and startup management to lifestyle consumption.
【Alumni Event】Yenching Academy Research Colloquium #7
On June 7, YCA hosted the seventh session of the Yenching Academy Research Colloquium Series. In this session, Collin Chung (USA, 2023 cohort) presented his recently published journal article co-authored with PKU Professor Lu Xiaoyu, titled Revoicing the Silk Road: Everyday Geopolitics in the China-Pakistan Borderlands, which explores how everyday actors navigate mega-infrastructure projects in China’s borderlands.
Read the full paper here：
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17450101.2026.2672946?scroll=top&needAccess=true
【Alumni Mentorship Chat】China through Two Lenses: Policy and Political Science
On June 9, Alison (Alley) McFarland (USA, 2019 cohort) returned to campus to deliver an insightful talk titled China through Two Lenses: Policy and Political Science. Drawing on her previous professional experience at the U.S. Institute of Peace and her current position as a PhD candidate at Princeton University, Alley discussed the nuances of studying China within the think tank space versus academia.
She examined the distinct analytical angles that policy researchers and political scientists apply to identical questions, pulling from her own research on U.S.–China crisis communications to illustrate these contrasting approaches.
【Alumni Gathering】Singapore Alumni Gathering
On May 10, the YCA alumni community in Singapore gathered for an afternoon of cultural exploration and reconnection at the SINGAPO人exhibition, hosted at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. Bringing together alumni across multiple cohorts, the visit offered a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the evolving narrative of Singaporean Chinese identity through interactive exhibits, shared memories, and conversations across cultures and generations.
【Alumni Gathering】Shanghai Alumni Gathering
On the afternoon of May 16, the YCA alumni event “Shanghai Book Nook: A YCA Spring Gathering” was held at WANGYIJI Kaoting Academy in Shanghai. The event brought together 15 alumni from cohorts 2 through 9, who travelled from various cities across the Yangtze River Delta, including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wenzhou, and Suzhou.
Immersed in a space filled with the aromas of tea and books, attendees experienced Shanghai's unique Haipai culture. The gathering featured a structured roundtable discussion followed by free-flowing conversations, where recent graduates shared career reflections and senior alumni reconnected with old classmates. They reminisced about their campus days and exchanged interdisciplinary professional insights across diverse fields.
【Alumni Gathering】London Alumni Gathering
On the evening of June 6, the YCA alumni event was held in Kings Cross, London. The event brought together nearly 20 alumni from cohorts 1 through 10, who travelled from various cities across the UK and Europe, including Oxford, Cambridge and Glasgow.
The gathering included a warm introduction to the Peking University Alumni Association in the UK by Dr.Sun Jinzhao, Deputy Secretary of its London branch, and a panel discussion by Tian Meng (China, 2015 cohort) and Pippa Ebel (UK, 2023 cohort) focused on building careers in the UK and China. The evening wrapped up with lively conversations and networking, further strengthening the vibrant YCA alumni community in Europe.
【Alumni Gathering】Hong Kong Alumni Gathering
On June 14, at the invitation of the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), YCA Associate Dean Fan Shiming led a delegation of 20 Yenching Scholars to Hong Kong for a cultural exchange and study tour.
During the trip, the delegation spent a wonderful time reconnecting with YCA alumni currently working and studying in Hong Kong. The alumni and scholars engaged in vibrant discussions regarding career development and cross-cultural practices, bringing the community closer together and allowing everyone to feel the enduring warmth of the YCA family.
Graduation Season
On June 18, Aneka Rajbhandari (Nepal, 2024 cohort) represented YCA at the 2026 PKU Graduates Symposium. Reflecting on her decade-long journey at Peking University from the Pre-university Program to Yenching Academy, she highlighted how these years shaped her life path and inspired her to foster deeper Nepal-China relations through the work of The Araniko Project.
On July 2, YCA welcomed back Lei Xuefei (China, 2018 cohort) to deliver the alumni speech at the YCA Graduation Ceremony. Speaking on the theme "Living in an Interconnected World," she reminded graduates that this ideal thrives in daily connections and mutual support, encouraging the new graduating class to continue passing on goodwill in their post-YCA lives.
On July 3, Imogen Parsley (UK, 2024 cohort) took the stage as the international student representative at the Peking University Graduation Ceremony. In her speech, she shared that she will devote her career to being a cross-cultural bridge, linking people around the globe to foster deeper mutual understanding.
