Peking University, July 8, 2026: The legendary American reporter Edgar Snow was honored at a conference at Peking University (PKU) on the afternoon of July 7, highlighting the role of inter-civilizational communication in mutual understanding. The conference was titled “Legacy of Edgar Snow: International Symposium on Contemporary Value and Inspiration to the World,” and was jointly organized by PKU and Xinhua News Agency.
“Edgar Snow was an undisputed American friend of China,” stated Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, during his opening speech. He was referring to the epitaph on Edgar Snow’s tombstone by the Weiming Lake.
Mr. Snow was credited with giving a truthful account of the communist revolution in China and interviewing many of the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, including Mao Zedong. His book, Red Star Over China, was an instant international bestseller and has now been made required reading for middle school students in China.
This year bears a special significance for a conference remembering Mr. Snow as it coincides with the 90th anniversary of the Long March, a 6,000-mile trek of the Chinese communists that decidedly saved the party during the Chinese Civil War that started in 1927. Mr. Snow conducted his famous interviews with the communist leadership in northern Shaanxi, right after they emerged triumphant from the March.
The conference featured a series of speeches from distinguished guests.
In his opening speech, Fu Hua quoted President Xi Jinping as saying that China will always remember the contributions of its international friends such as Edgar Snow to its efforts in revolution and development.
He emphasized Mr. Snow’s relentless pursuit of truth, his courage to enter a war zone to talk to people at the grass-roots level, and his profound love for Chinese culture. In today’s world where misinformation and bias can spread rapidly, Mr. Snow’s international reach and upright character stand as an example for all of us to follow, according to Fu Hua.
Echoing this message, He Guangcai, chair of PKU Council, implored media, academia, and young people in general to carry out the “Snow Spirit” by telling truthful, detailed stories about China and fostering healthy cross-cultural dialogues. “We believe only good-faith communication can break down barriers to mutual understanding.”
He also reaffirmed PKU’s commitment to working with Xinhua in improving access to historical records regarding Edgar Snow and building an international platform for promoting academic research and cooperation.
Sidne Ward, president of the Edgar Snow Memorial Foundation, noted that Mr. Snow’s work has inspired a “vibrant international community” to sustain his legacy and promote mutual understanding. This community now stretches across China, the US, and beyond, involving a number of universities, researchers, students, and “countless partners and friends,” according to Ms. Ward.
“This collaboration demonstrates that history is not something we simply preserve and put in a box on a dusty shelf; it is something we continually rediscover and examine together through conferences, publications, educational programs…and, most of all, personal exchanges.”
Sam Maclean, communications manager at Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University read a letter written by Mr. Snow’s daughter, Sian Snow.
In this letter, she stressed her father’s dogged efforts to report the truth and resist censorship, underscoring his belief that “facts must be discussed openly and freely if the lessons of history are to be learned and applied for the benefit of future generations.”
“If he leaves any legacy, it is that of independent and truthful reporting with no bias other than human empathy and the desire to build mutual understanding among peoples.”
In addition to speeches, the conference also saw the launch of two projects. The first was the Global Edgar Snow Research Initiative (the Initiative), dedicated to better preserving Mr. Snow’s legacy and promoting it to a wider international audience. The second was the Communication journal, which will serve as an academic news journal.
There are three prestigious American universities that currently hold substantial historical documents regarding Mr. Snow—Harvard University, University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Brigham Young University. The Initiative aims to translate and digitize PKU’s trove of Snow documents and research and integrate this resource with that of the three American universities, thus building a global open digital hub.
The Initiative also plans to launch more joint research projects between Chinese and American scholars to unearth more historical information and share it with the world. Besides, it will organize study tours and exchange programs spanning China, the US, and the UK, with a view to familiarizing students with Mr. Snow’s incredible journey and promoting mutual understanding among young people.
The conference was followed by a day of academic symposiums on July 8, where over a hundred participants delved deep into Mr. Snow’s impact on international communication and the spirit of the Long March.
Before the conference, Xinhua and PKU jointly organized a study tour from July 3 to 5, which retraced Mr. Snow’s footsteps in northern Shaanxi. Guests invited included the offspring of Mr. Snow, representatives from the Edgar Snow Memorial Foundation, and Snow scholars from both China and the US.
