Editor's Note: Peking University students and alumni are spread all across the world. PKU Personalities interview series is a part of our determination to keep Pekingers connected. This series of interviews aims to introduce notable Pekingers dedicated to international dialogue and cross-cultural communications to the rest of our PKU family and the world.

Peking University, July 29, 2022: Today, let's meet Goh Chia Chia (吴佳嘉) from Singapore, a graduate of the Peking University's School of Government Class of 2022, who's also one of the only three international students in her faculty batch.

About Goh Chia Chia


Goh Chia Chia majored in Urban Management at PKU's School of Government and was a recipient of the full Chinese Government Scholarship (CGS) during her 4-year course at Peking University. Earlier this year, she was awarded the Peking University Foreign Students Academic Excellence Award and is also recognized as one of Peking University's Outstanding Foreign Graduate Student of the Year.

After emerging as the top candidate in the final selection round for the Master’s Interview (including local students), she will be pursuing her Master's in Regional Economics at Peking University.

Deepening her bicultural acumen at PKU

Goh Chia Chia grew up in a bi-lingual household speaking both Chinese and English language fluently. Having always been hardworking and strong-willed, she excelled in her academics.  After graduating high school and when it came to applying for undergraduate program, most of her friends were searching for local universities and institutions in the US or the UK after high school graduation. However, Chia Chia explained that those options didn't attract her because she knew she wanted a different educational experience and "a vastly different one".


She credits the Bicultural Studies Scholarship Programme and the academic experience she received in high school for helping realize her interest in China. For her A-level examinations, she took Translation and China Studies in Chinese as her two H2 subjects, and was awarded the Bicultural Student of the Year in 2017 in recognition of her outstanding performance.

During this period, she also independently completed two study research papers, one on the comparison of National Identity in Singapore and China, and the other on how the rise of the internet has helped the Chinese government to promote and realize good governance. After this preliminary research experience, Chia Chia came to a realization,

“ I personally feel that if you want to understand China, you ought to be there to experience it. It is and will be very different from what you may initially perceive and obtain from secondary sources, which most of the time you may not be able to get the full picture and they may not be as accurate.”


At the time, she had been accepted by local universities such as the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU), as well as Chinese universities like Fudan University and Peking University. In addition to Chia Chia's determination to pursue her education in the political heart of the China, it was her understanding of PKU's rich history, possession of bicultural acumen and strong emphasis on research and innovation that ultimately led her to decide on studying in PKU.

However, prior to her admission, people around her had concerns about her decision to study in China, posing questions such as "Why do you want to study in the School of Government in China?" Although Chia Chia sensed the negativity in these concerns, she held her ground.

“ I was quite firm that it is important to know the country well enough, experience it, so that sweeping statements don't stand.”


Hence, with an open mind, Chia Chia has taken the leap of faith which made her one of the handful of international students at PKU's School of Government.

Overcoming challenges

“ I have to admit that everything wasn't easy.”Chia Chia shares that while fluency in Chinese was an advantage for her, she didn't have prior experience of studying specialized topics such as mathematics, programming and applied statistics in Chinese, which were required modules for her undergraduate degree.

Chia Chia adds that "For the first two weeks to a month into my first semester, I was hugging translation devices and dictionaries. Imagine being thrown a mathematics mock test paper in Chinese for your first class and the questions look completely foreign to you. I didn't even know 常数 meant 'a constant'  in Chinese, so I couldn't answer any of the questions during that test."


She recalls pasting math formulas and translated mathematical and statistical terms at the front of her bed and cabinets. She revised and memorized them every morning following a method recommended by one of her professors.

“ Everyone is working hard, so I find that there is no excuse for you to say you are not good enough if you don't try hard enough.”

Chia Chia, more determined than ever, knew that she had towork hard to overcome the language barrier. She also expressed gratitude towards her professors and the positive learning environment PKU which were key motivators for her.

Grappling with student organisations and social work

Chia Chia believes in achieving a balance between academic and social life, which propelled her to become actively involved in the myriad of PKU clubs and committees. During her second year at PKU, she was elected as the Secretary of the Singapore Student Association (Beijing), an association which connects all Singaporeans in Beijing through various events and activities throughout the year.


Moreover, she was the Vice-President of the Arts and Literary Department and the International Exchange Department under PKU's Student Union. She was the first international student to hold two leadership position in the organization.


Chia Chia also took the lead for many key events at PKU such as the highly anticipated annual PKU Top Ten Singers Competition, PKU Top 10 International Students Singing Competition and more. Chia Chia was also the English host for PKU's International Culture Festival (ICF) live broadcast on CGTN in 2018. She then became the stage director and was in charge of the ICF stage performances in 2019.


A strong believer in the art of giving and goodwill, she made it a point to make time for volunteering. She led the Project Development Department of the PKU Cyrus Tang Charity Association during her time in Beijing and was the President of the ZhiXing Voluntary Teaching group from 2019-2020. One of her projects was to help young children with autism integrate better into society. She headed the volunteer initiative, connected with a local organization and restaurants, and gathered volunteers to interact with the children over a meal every Saturday.



“ I was fortunate to be able to meet a lot of like-minded individuals who were keen on contributing their time to engage with different groups in society.”

Chia Chia and her group of dedicated volunteers would travel down to the rural parts of Beijing and give English language lessons to the primary school kids every Friday afternoon. Recapping her experience, she states that even though they were giving them lessons, she felt that they were the ones who had learned more from them.


Even while she was stuck in Singapore due to the pandemic, she was still an active volunteer at MyH2O, a non-governmental organization in Beijing, which aims to provide clean water resources to rural communities through a data visualization platform. She handled a few projects online and assisted the media and publicity team. She stresses theimportance of exposing oneself to different sides of a society in honing one's holistic view of social and political issues.

PKU has provided an inclusive environment for individuals from all around the world, interact and bond with one another. From hosting the ICF to being part of the marching contingent for China's 70th anniversary parade at Tiananmen Square, Chia Chia was given many opportunities to represent her country on various occasions.

“ I think it is the cultural inclusiveness that mattered a lot and is still heartening to date.”


In addition, she received the Outstanding Student Journalist Award for her contribution to the PKU Office of Global Communication. In Peking University's 2019-2020 Annual Research Competition, she joined hands with two Chinese students from the Sociology faculty in writing a research paper which eventually won them the third prize. The research paper was also awarded research funds under the Beijing Innovation Plan (Social Sciences and Humanities).

Accumulating knowledge and experience through all means and platforms, Chia Chia immersed herself into academia as she became the first foreign undergraduate student to be invited to join the research team led by Professor Lu Jun(Associate Dean of Peking University's School of Government, Ph.D. Candidate Supervisor)during her second year at PKU. Chia Chia fondly recalls attending Professor Lu's class on Urban Economics. She admitted that before attending the class, she had some difficulty grasping and appreciating economic concepts and models, but thanks to Professor Lu's teaching method, Chia Chia was able to realize her interest in the subject and choose a major in Urban Governance.

Chia Chia has since also co-written one of the chapters for the upcoming course book on Urban Management, and has worked on various research projects and topics such as the Drivers and Models of Global Digital Economyand Digital Governance, Industry-city Integration etc with the other team members.

Her strategy for becoming street-smart

“ I always feel that learning should be multi-dimensional.”Living up to her convictions and maintaining her academic rigor, Chia Chia has also amassed diverse industry experience since graduating from high school. To her, being "street-smart" is of equal importance to being "academically inclined".

Over the course of her 4-year undergraduate studies, she has gained experience in both the public, private, and non-profit sector. In 2020, while juggling academics, she managed to complete a year-long internship at the Singapore Land Authority, working in two different departments: Geospatial Industry Engagement and Promotion Department, and the Data and Policy Department. She also spent 10 months at Socium, a PR and Communications Agency, handling marketing and PR campaigns for B2B and B2C clientele.


Not only that, Chia Chia also did internships at a venture capital company and a non-governmental organization, the Chandler Institute of Governance, that supports governments in enhancing leadership, institutions, and public service capabilities through training programs, advisory partnerships, and knowledge creation.  As her last stint during university, she is atFigment, a boutique hospitality real estate firm in Singapore, focusing her efforts on Growth Marketing for the company. With the team at Figment, she has ventured into the NFT and Block-chain space and is now the Chief of Staff for the Figment Country Club team.


“ I don't think the field of your degree determines what you are capable of achieving. Just because I hold a political science or urban management degree, does not mean I cannot excel in a technical position or a business management role.”

In addition, Chia Chia was also offered a Digital Transformation role at one of the Big Four accounting firms prior to her graduation but she decided to let go of the offer in pursuit of her Master's.



Today, she is celebrating her sixth year serving at the Waterways Watch Society in Singapore. She is now the Secretary of the Board Committee of the organization which has now acquired approximately 1000 members.

Chia Chia's suggestion to students is to try engaging in activities outside of class, and "always level expectations at work, and learn to prioritize. More importantly, love what you do, and pursue what really speaks to you best."

Work hard, play hard

“ I am a very organized person in my work but very un-organized when I am out of work! I have very serious OCD at work.”

That said, Chia Chia adds that being able to manage different work commitments, volunteering and academics at the same time is likely the result of having a clear mind, being task-oriented and efficient, and having good time management. She thinks that 'no time' is not an excuse.

“ It is all about prioritization, and having the passion and interest for the things you want to pursue. If you hold enough passion and heart for something, you will always make time for it.”

Chia Chia never misses a chance to take time off her tight schedule and commitments to look beyond her laptop and step out of her dorm. She was an avid traveler in Beijing and would often go on backpacking or weekend trips to nearby cities, and return on a Monday morning just in time for the 8 am lesson.



“ The professors of urban management encourage us to travel a lot because, for our work, it is very important to observe, feel and experience different cities to garner useful insights and problem statements.”


While she appreciates the comfort of the high-speed train in China, Chia Chia stillprefers to engage in more "down-to-earth" experiences. She further states that not everyone is able to afford the high-speed rail train ticket in China, and even if they could, it's still a luxury.

“ I love these train experiences while I travel because it shows me a different side of China. It is not just about the jam-packed trains or the limited steel benches in them, but when you are on the train surrounded by these city hustlers, you can feel the strong sense of motivation and grit in them.”

On one of her trips, a Chinese passenger with a sitting ticket evenoffered her their seat for a period of time since she only had a standing ticket for the hours-long journey.

“ At that moment, that sense of warmth just overwhelms you.”



Travelling also became her way to learn more about China outside of class. She feels that the vast geographical, economical, and social differences between various cities in China are excellent materials for her academic pursuit. Ultimately, her love for traveling also led to her decision to pursue a Masters' degree in Regional Economics at Peking University later this year.

Reflecting upon her experiences as an international student at PKU and in China, Chia Chia feels that every international student in China is essentially a key cultural ambassador of not just their country, but also for China.

“ As cliche as it may sound, I love to quote what Chinese President Xi remarked '讲好中国故事'. I think every International Pekinger plays an important role in it.”

Writted by: Aneka R. Rajbhandari
Edited by: Chan Zi Qing
Produced by: Amanda Hu
Photo credited to: Goh Chia Chia
Designed by: Chin Xiao Yun Pauline