On Thursday afternoon, December 17, 2015, a delegation led by Dr. Esben Lunde Larsen, Minister for Higher Education and Science, visited Peking University (PKU). Mr. A. Cartsen Damsgaard, Ambassador of Denmark to China and Mongolia and other honorable guests attended the meeting. They were warmly received by PKU Vice President Wang Jie and Assistant Dean of Yenching Academy (YCA) John Holden.
The meeting mainly focused on further establishing collaboration between PKU and Danish universities. Dr. Esben Lunde Larsen first pointed out that a main difficulty for foreign students to study in China is they find Chinese hard to grasp. Vice President Wang Jie therefore stated that PKU is providing more and more English courses. He also explained the goal of the Yenching Academy is to become a gateway for foreigners to see every aspect of China’s development.
Mr. John Holden then gave details in reply to Dr. Esben Lunde Larsen’s question about the impressions foreign students hold regarding the Yenching Academy. He stated that the students are amazed by the high quality of their classmates and the hospitality that Chinese people have shown to them.
Mr. John Holden also stressed that though many of the professors in Yenching Academy are Chinese, both PKU and the YCA welcome students and lecturers from all over the world, as campus diversity is highly valued.
Dr. Esben Lunde Larsen expressed great interest in the programs in Yenching Academy. A roundtable meeting was held later at the Yenching Academy for further discussion of academic cooperation.
Written by: Wang Yi
Edited by: Liu Xiya
