Peking University, Dec. 10, 2012: Peking University (PKU) Council Chairman Zhu Shanlu led a delegation to visit Britain’s world-renowned universities from December 4 to December 8, aiming at consolidating the cooperation and communication between PKU and world-class universities, investigating their experience of development in face of new challenges, strengthening the contact with PKU alumni in Europe and exploring the future growth model for PKU.

The University of Edinburgh

PKU delegation visited the University of Edinburgh first and had a discussion with the Deans and professors on the missions and the responsibilities of higher education in the process of globalization and feasible cooperation channels between the two universities. With a long history, the University of Edinburgh has been ”influencing the world since 1583” and has a good relationship with PKU. Professor Stephen Hillier, Vice president of the University of Edinburgh, expressed the will to continue promoting the cooperation with PKU via enriched vehicles to foster talents with an international vision, which Zhu Shanlu viewed as a great opportunity to enlarge international space for development for universities in China and even the whole society.

Cambridge and Oxford

Zhu Shanlu with Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, President of the University of Cambridge

Zhu Shanlu with Sir Andrew Hamilton, President of the University of Oxford

PKU delegation had in-depth dialogues with Presidents and professors of the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, all of whom held a common view that the development of higher education in the future worldwide cannot thrive without a broad vision and an open mind, and that the East and the West should further strengthen  understanding and communication with each other to cooperate in an even wider range of fields other than academics. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, President of the University of Cambridge and Sir Andrew Hamilton, President of the University of Oxford, both said that promoting academic exchanges and cooperation in a global context was a crucial goal of their teams, and PKU was the one to watch and collaborate with.

After studying the mentoring system of undergraduate education in the two universities,  Zhu Shanlu and the delegation held deep and fruitful discussions about ways of cultivating talents in a global context that are pertinent to China’s reality, and the pioneering role that PKU has in the development of China’s higher education.

In the meantime, echoing the national strategic goals set by the recent 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Zhu Shanlu and the delegation put forward specific global developing measures to be taken in terms of strengthening scientific researches of oceanography, aiming to contribute to the construction of China’s marine power, and drew up the roadmap to cooperate with Britain’s universities in this field.

PKU delegation also toured the Cavendish Laboratory and the Churchill College at the University of Cambridge, the Laboratories of the Department of Earth Sciences, the Hertford College and the China Centre at the University of Oxford, and exchanged views on mutually interested topics with their faculties.

London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE)

In the discussion with the professors at LSE, the two sides expressed their visions of the existing cooperation between the two universities and their will to work hard to achieve new breakthrough in a wider range of collaboration, from today to the long future.

PKU Alumni Association in the UK (PKUAA-UK)

PKU delegation also actively contacted with PKU Alumni Association in the UK (PKUAA-UK) founded in 2010, and joined its forum and party, during which Zhu Shanlu introduced the PKU’s new three-step strategy to develop into a world-class university. He shared his views on how PKU can better collaborate with the alumni and taking full use of alumni resources on the way to pursue the excellence. He sincerely hoped the alumni of PKU worldwide to strive together for the goal and contribute to the future glory of PKU.

Tony Blair Faith Foundation

In addition, Zhu Shanlu led the delegation to visit the Blair Faith Foundation and held a friendly dialogue with Tony Blair about inviting him to lecture at PKU’s high-end academic forum.

The delegation also met with officials at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It is reported that PKU delegation will go on to visit other famous universities in Europe to broaden the horizon, strengthen international cooperation, seek mutual understanding and explore ways to combine the forces to fulfill the goal of building a top university in the world.