Peking University, April 27, 2022: The Peking University (PKU) Sports Meeting commenced on April 23, 2022. As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the PKU Spring Sports Meeting, let’s delve into the past and explore how this momentous event came to be.

Beginning: the first Sports Meeting at Peking University

Sports became PKU’s priority in January 1917, when Cai Yuanpei presided over the administrative affairs of PKU. Cai Yuanpei came up with the idea that sports should be taken as the first part of holistic development. Soon after in 1922, PKU established a special committee to promote physical education and set up the Department of Physical Education (PE) to guide students' sports events and manage sporting equipment.

The first Spring Sports Meeting for PKU’s students and teachers was grandly held after the founding of the Republic of China (ROC). On April 19, 1922, the Department of PE published a bulletin in The University Daily , encouraging students to sign up for various sports events. The publication also featured a series of related pieces from PKU’s teachers and students, further invigorating the campus community. Cai Yuanpei also emphasized the significance of the sports meeting in increasing social interaction and cultivating civic spirit.



The first sports meeting was a splendid event for the teachers and students alike. Besides the students engaging in fun activities, many faculty members also took up important posts like chairman, referee, and timekeeper. After the students’ competition, teachers and other staff joined in recreational activities such as the bicycle race and the blindfold run.


Inheritance: the importance of sports meetings

Since the success of the first sports meeting in 1922, the Sports Meeting has been held on the PKU campus every spring. The sports meeting was always memorable for the teachers and students who devoted themselves to the competition and shared the joy of sports.

After Peking University merged into the Southwest Associated University in Kunming, the Anti-Japanese War impeded the development of sports activities, Nevertheless, the school still attached great importance to the sports, and sports lovers on campus actively overcame the unfavorable conditions, organized various sports activities and held sports competitions on and beyond campus.

Since the founding of The People’s Republic of China (PRC), sports competitions have become integral to student life. In addition to competition events and various friendly matches between colleges, PKU also started the annual track and field sports meeting in May 1954, which involved a total of 13 campus units and more than 800 athletes. In 1978 after the Cultural Revolution, the annual sports meeting tradition was resumed and later combined with the Sports Culture Festival.




Today: Passing on the sporting spirit

The sports meetings at PKU have persevered through time, embodying the spirit and vitality of the campus community. Through engaging in various sports events, generations of PKUers pass on the sporting spirit and put Cai Yuanpei’s philosophy into practice.



Written by: Fu Jiaqi
Edited by: Li Wanqi
Source: PKU News (Chinese)