Editor’s note: During the Chinese New Year, foreign experts at Peking University have extended their best wishes to PKUers and expressed their hope for a “happy, healthy and prosperous” Year of the Rabbit. The following are highlights from their greetings. 

Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, who is also an honorary professor of PKU, extending his New Year greetings via video link

Jim McDonald: Dear Professor Gong and all of friends and colleagues from Peking University, I'm Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde. It is my great pleasure to speak to you as we embark on the 2023 Chinese New Year. On behalf of everyone at the University of Strathclyde, I would like to wish you, your family and friends a very happy Chinese New Year. 

As Vice-Chancellor of Strathclyde, I greatly value our collaboration with PKU, a partnership that is growing stronger through our many engagements and emerging collaborations. Our university deeply appreciates our partnership with PKU, and we see immense value working together to build longer term engagement to help advance our academic objectives or subjects or experiences in research to address the critical global challenges of our time.

The past year has been both successful and rewarding, for our partnership. Our two universities have worked closely together throughout 2022, representing a highly significant milestone and taking forward Strathclyde’s and PKU's ambitious aspirations for our joint academic capabilities and many common areas of work. This resulted in our signing a partnership, MOU, and an agreement to establish a joint program for sustainable development and decarbonization between the two universities. It was also personally a great pleasure for me to meet President Gong online as well at the signing ceremony. I was greatly honored to be awarded the PKU Honorary Professorship in March last year, and more recently, the PKU Friendship Award. I would like to offer you my sincere thanks for conferring these awards upon me. 

I am very confident that our collaboration and friendship will continue to flourish and go from strength to strength. 

Finally, may I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous Year of the Rabbit. 新年快乐，兔年大吉，宏图大展，谢谢你！

Philip McConnaughay, Dean of School of Transnational Law of Peking University

Philip McConnaughay: School of Transnational Law (STL) thanks PKU for establishing and supporting STL. STL is extremely proud of the law school's contributions to the University, to the City of Shenzhen, to the Greater Bay Area, and to all of China as our graduates continue to assume positions of leadership in law, government, business, and many other avenues of public service. The entire STL community wishes all of PKU a very prosperous, healthy, and happy 2023!

 Ryuichi Shindou, Associate Professor at the International Center for Quantum Materials (ICQM) of Peking University

Ryuichi Shindou: Our team published several important papers, on which graduate students were sparing no effort! In 2023, I hope and firmly believe that our lives and teaching will return to normal. I extend my sincere wishes for a happy new year, may all your endeavors be successful, may your wishes come true, and wish you prosperity, happiness and good health!

Bahador Bacheri, Associate Professor at School of Foreign Languages of Peking University, extending his New Year greetings via video link

Bahador Bacheri: I'm so happy to have this golden opportunity to live in China and become familiar with this fabulous nation and its culture, history and civilization. Actually, staying in China is the best and sweetest international experience for me and my family. And because of the endless kindness and hospitality of colleagues, students and especially my dear friends of International Affairs Office of Peking University, we don't feel like we are living in a foreign country at all. I sincerely congratulate you and your family on the Chinese New Year, and wish you a year full of happiness, health, wealth, blessing, smile and sweet news!

Daniele Macuglia, Assistant Professor from the Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (AAIS) at Peking University (PKU), extending his New Year greetings via video link

Daniele Macuglia: 2022 has been a very exciting year for me. I offered courses to excellent students whom I admire for their dedication and for their skills; published two articles; recorded a song in Chinese for the Olympic Winter Games; shot a video to promote Peking University to prospective students in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; shared my thoughts and feelings about the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, etc. I can count on the help of highly qualified colleagues and staff members to whom my heartfelt thanks for their support. I really want to encourage all new international faculty members to participate in the activities offered by the International Faculty Club, so that they can find a very positive environment. Let us all work hard and try to build a wonderful 2023 together.

Foreign experts at Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS): Jooyoung Park, Domenico Tarzia, and Karol Mazur (from left)

Jooyoung Park: Live your life as you wish in 2023! You are already good, and you can do it! Wish your health, wealth, and new blessings to count every day in 2023!

Domenico Tarzia: The traditional teaching model has changed indefinitely, with some teaching moved to the virtual space, through online lectures and video calls. I felt I had to commit myself to develop a feeling of connectedness through the effective use of online tools, to encourage conversation and simulate on-campus community spirit. Regardless of the challenges we may face, we may enter the new year with optimism. 

Karol Mazur: I have had a very fruitful start in my teaching and research work at PKU. I deeply hope that this smooth start has been just a prelude to many years of high academic productivity at PKU! I wish every PKUer lots of health, wisdom, luck and success in the upcoming year. 

Top, from left, Elena Kozhevnikova, Giummarra Giuseppina, foreign lecturers at Peking University; left, Josué Rolando Aguilar-Calderón, a postdoctoral fellow; right, Takahiro Nishimura, a postdoctoral fellow  

Elena Kozhevnikova: It’s a real pleasure to be a part of the warm and loving PKU family for me. I have always been surrounded by wonderful and extraordinary people, and this PKU journey has not only helped me become a better version of myself in my professional skills, but also made me feel at home in China! I believe that 2023 will bring us even more opportunities and success!

Giummarra Giuseppina: During the Chinese New Year, it’s time to rest, to enjoy these days with your families and friends, to recharge your mind for a new beginning. I hope that the new year brings all the personal and professional satisfactions you desire.

Josué Rolando Aguilar-Calderón: I feel very fortunate for belonging to Prof. Xi’s research group which among various scientific assets and strong work ethics their support has been key for me to be able to deliver results. I encourage everyone in PKU to take full advantage of the resources provided as we have everything at hand to reach our goals.

Takahiro Nishimura: Since my student days, I have spent seven years at Peking University. I hope to shoulder and continue the spirit of the Yenching. In the new year, I hope to continue to advance with a more "deep red" passion.


Edited by: Meng Bin 
Source: Office of International Relations