On September 21, 2015, the opening ceremony of the 23rd Class of the Stanford University Program at Peking University was held at the Chaitai International Center. Wang Yong, Vice Director of the Office of International Relations, Peking University (PKU); Zhao Yang, Dean of the School of Chinese as a Second Language, PKU; Andy Andreasen, SCPKU Executive Director of the Stanford Center at Peking University (SCPKU); and David J. Boyer, Associate Director of the Bing Overseas Studies Program at Stanford University attended the welcome reception.
Wang Yong first welcomed the teachers and students who participate in this program on behalf of PKU. He pointed out that globalization was a main trend in the 21st century, and that it is quite important for students to build a tight bond with the world. As an important bridge of cooperation and exchanges between two universities, the SCPKU has already become a vital platform for Stanford students to understand China.
Afterwards, Zhao Yang, Dean of the School of Chinese as a Second Language, expressed his well wishes for the Stanford students, and he said he hopes that Stanford students will be able to fully understand the Chinese language and culture and to experience China. Dean Zhao also wished for the students to make as many friends as possible and to have a great time at PKU.
Next, Stanford Professor Andrew Walder spoke. He noted that it was a great opportunity for students to experience China and the world. During the 23rd class at the SCPKU, Prof. Andrew Walder is going to offer a course called "Chinese Society in the Post-Mao Era".
Li Jialu, a student representative of PKU, talked about her experience in the United States, Cambodia, and Hong Kong. She said that an important part of cross-cultural communication was to share stories with each other. After that, a student representative of Stanford made a speech about her experiences in the past few days in China: She talked about a taxi driver who had helped her with her baggage and the teachers and students who helped her during the new semester, which really touched her deeply.
Written by Sohn Mina
