Peking University, Nov. 15, 2010: On Nov. 9, a Peking University Delegation attended the Annual General Meeting of PKU Education Foundation (USA) in New York and PKU Weiming Forum in the United States.

Led by Prof. Min Weifang, Chairman of PKU Council, the delegation included Prof. Xu Zhihong, former President of PKU, Prof. Hai Wen, PKU Vice President, and Dr. Deng Ya, PKU Assistant President and Secretary-General of PKU Education Foundation. They communicated extensively with alumni and friends of the university in New York.

On the evening of Nov. 9, Penn Club of New York had a great gathering of distinguished guests. Peking University Alumni Association of Greater New York (PKUAAGNU) held a grand reception cocktail and the first Weiming Forum in New York. Cen Jianjun, Educational Counselor of Consulate-General of China in New York, Kong Jing, Cultural Counselor of Consulate-General of the China in New York, and Zhao Xinli, Technological Counselor of Permanent Mission of China to the UN attended the forum together with over 120 PKU alumni and guests.

Prof. Min Weifang

Prof. Xu Zhihong

In his speech, Prof. Min Weifang introduced the general situation, important development in the past ten years and hopeful perspective of PKU to the alumni and guests. During 12 years of “985 Project” to build a world-class university, PKU has made great progress in many aspects, including discipline construction, research innovation, talent training, international communication and infrastructure construction, and consequently has expanded its international influence. Prof. Min said that “2010 is a crucial year for higher education in China, and this year the Party Central Committee and the State Council convened the first national education conference in the 21st century. Along with the practice of the Guidelines for China’s Educational Reform and Development in Medium and Long-term and the 12th Five-Year Plan, education started to gain an unprecedented amount of attention. Peking University, as well as higher education in China is facing another important opportunity of development. For the purpose of ‘serving national strategy and sticking to scientific development’, PKU is quickening its pace to become a world-class university. We hope our alumni and friends in New York and all over the US can support the development of PKU and higher education in China.” Through PKUAAGNY, Prof. Min also expressed greetings from PKU students and faculty to all PKU alumni all over the US.

Prof. Hai Wen

Prof. Hai Wen discussed the issue of the exchange rate of RMB in his speech. He analyzed the reasons why the US required RMB to be appreciated and why RMB couldn’t do so too fast, and the policies of Chinese government to deal with this problem. Moreover, Prof. Hai Wen shared his experiences of studying in the US from 1982 and that of working in China since 1995.

Other honored guests and successful PKU alumni also made a speech on invitation, sharing their opinions about the present situation of economy and successful experiences of PKU alumni and other Chinese in Wall Street, and calling on alumni and friends to support the development of PKU and higher education in China.

A Group Photo at Weiming Forum

Weiming Forum is a thematic cultural communication activity held by PKU all over the US. By inviting PKU administrators and famous professors to give thematic speeches, Weiming Forum aims at promoting the understanding around the US of China’s education, culture and economy and enhancing communication and friendship between the two countries. Since 2006, PKU has successfully held Weiming Forum for seven times in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, with alumni associations in different places in the US undertaking specific affairs.

A Group Photo of All Members of Administrative Committee of PKU Education Foundation (USA)

On the morning of Nov. 9, the Annual General Meeting of Peking University Education Foundation (USA) was held in New York. Before the meeting, Prof. Min Weifang and Deng Ya visited several alumni and friends in San Francisco in passing and attended a banquet to express appreciation to alumni and friends in the Bay Area.

Translated by: Xu Xinyi
Edited by: Zhang Chunlan
Source: PKU News (Chinese)