Peking University, February 19, 2022: As an effort to contribute to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Peking University (PKU) has dispatched student volunteers, performing in the opening ceremony or serving at various gaming venues. They have already dedicated months to achieving the success of this event. We are honoured to interview with some of them and to bring their stories here.

PKU Student Volunteer Profile


Tory Mu Zhang is currently a master student at School of New Media. She is volunteering for event and venue management.


Evelyn Liang is an undergraduate student at School of Arts. She serves at National Aquatics Center as a journalist volunteer.

First Encounter with the Olympics


Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics are the very first encounters young Tory had with the Olympics. Attracted to sports, she has hence participated in several global sport events as either volunteer or practitioner, including NBA summer game, 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, China Open Tennis Tournament, etc.


Similar to Tory, Evelyn's story with the Olympics also started from the Beijing Summer Olympics when she was living in Beijing and experienced the whole session. The tremendous enthusiasm of the Chinese people for the Olympics still comes fresh to her. "I still have a set of Olympic Fuwa dolls (2008 mascots) in my collection", Evelyn shares. As a fan of the Olympics, she wondered what a wonderful thing it would be to be able to attend one of the Olympics in person. Living and studying at PKU in Beijing gave her the chance and she registered as a volunteer.

What does it mean to be a volunteer?


"A volunteer is different from a practitioner in many ways: we don't make money out of the games, we don't answer to bosses and we are not responsible to clients. We only keep in mind making sure the games run smoothly and securely", says Tory, "volunteers help the Olympic spirits of Faster, Higher, Stronger and Together better perceived by all". She believes volunteering work is meaningful to individuals and the world alike.


Evelyn volunteers in event services: she joined the publicity team and is responsible for taking daily work photos and editing promotional videos for volunteers in the field. Although the working tasks and time-length are very challenging, she works tirelessly to capture every precious moment. She describes the whole experiences as "fulfilling and enjoyable".

Rewarding journey


"When we study at school or work in companies, we focus much on what we gain or what we lose. But when we serve as volunteers, the only thing we care about is the event and we try our best to make it better", Tory says, "being a volunteer makes me more aware of that the necessity and meaning of contributing to the community and the world without asking for anything in return."

In the volunteer work, she feels their values, time and meanings of life are appreciated, in forms that cannot be balanced in money or anything else. She is sure that these experiences are something she will always cherish. For her, this Winter Olympics is not the end but a start to every possible future volunteering opportunity.


For Evelyn, volunteer work also provides with a great chance to learn. "Joining the publicity team has given me a great degree of freedom in my exploration of the Winter Olympics. I was able to give full play to my professional expertise in photography and editing", Evelyn shares.

She also shares the experience of witnessing China's first victory in the curling mixed doubles. She felt "unprecedented excitement", she says, "even though I am Chinese Argentinian, I still identify myself as Chinese. That night, I was so proud and happy for being Chinese. I can feel the blood pumping through my veins. I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude."

Together for a shared future


Tory likes the slogan a lot and shares, "What I see and feel in the Olympics shows that global sport events are indeed great opportunities in which chasms are bridged and mutual-understanding is acknowledged. Athletes and spectators come together from all over the world to bring out and celebrate their best performances. This makes Olympics exciting and meaningful."

Olympics are the best stages to acquire friendship, not only for the athletes but also for the volunteers. In the depths of winter, friendship and friendliness people show make her warm from time to time. Tory tells us that greetings, compliments and encouragements are frequently heard in the venues. She shares a fun story that volunteers at the National Aquatics Centre even send warm regards to those at the National Stadium on the other side of the broad road via body language whenever they have the chance.


Evelyn has also known a great many friends, from whom she heard fantastic stories and learned various publicity skills. She considers these experiences with these friends as her most precious assets and records every touching moment with her camera.


"Well done! Thank you!" to all PKU volunteers who are making a dream true!

Journalist & Writer: Lean Zhixuan
Editor: Xu Zhenyao, Amanda Hu
Producer: Pu Hairui
Designer: Chin Xiao Yun Pauline