Peking University, Jan. 14, 2019: Peking University held a press conference on January 11, announcing three grand projects that will propel the Belt and Road Initiative. Director of the Publicity Department Jiang Langlang, who officiated at the conference, revealed these three projects:
1. The Maritime Silk Road & Zheng He’s Voyages to the Western Seas: History and Culture of the Involving Regions
2. The Ancient Silk Road: Excavation and Inheritance
3. International Undergraduate Dual-Degree Program at the Belt & Road Institute
At the press conference
Leaders of the above-mentioned projects were all present to give presentations on the details.
Professor Zan Tao, deputy dean of the Department of History, said the project will examine the history and culture of the regions along the Maritime Silk Road and Zheng He’s Voyages through various means, including field trips and the collection of cultural relics and historical materials. The research is expected to pave the way for a solid research system of basic disciplines like history and a practical paradigm for studying regional history, according to Zan.
Zan Tao
Professor Sun Qingwei, dean of the School of Archaeology and Museology, elaborated on the second project, saying it will attempt to identify how western and oriental civilizations integrate in ancient times and how they pass on from generations to generations. On top of that, the project will catalyze the progress in bringing up more professionals whose research area involves the ancient Silk Road.
Sun Qingwei
Professor Liu Qiao, dean of the Guanghua School of Management, made a general description on the International Undergraduate Dual-Degree Program carried out by the newly-founded Belt & Road Institute. He said the program aims to foster future leaders, so the students enrolled to the program should be the most outstanding ones selected from 14 top-notch partner universities across the world. These students will be fully-funded, and they will receive general education at their home universities during the first two years and then study at Peking University for various advanced courses related to management and Chinese studies over the remaining years.
Liu Qiao
Peking University President Hao Ping summarized the conference, emphasizing the growing significance of drawing upon interdisciplinary knowledge and collaborating with scholars from different research fields when carrying out an individual project. Hao also reiterated that Peking University will remain active in providing academic support for the Belt and Road Initiative and even for the whole nation.
Hao Ping
In recent years, Peking University has been committed to cultivating talents for the member states of the Belt and Road Initiative, with 828 students from 55 countries studying on campus. The university also established the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development in 2016, enrolling 158 students from countries along the Belt and Road and bringing up 52 Master's students.
Reported by: Huang Weijian
Photo credit to: He Pingping
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
