Global China Academy Invites Scholars from Tsinghua University and Three Other Chinese Universities to Visit the UK (17–23 August 2024)

In early June 2024, Professor Zhao contacted Professor Xiangqun Chang regarding two visiting projects. The first was a 22-day field study (27 July–17 August) led by Professor Zhao Kejin on modern British modernization and its global development experience. The second was a seven-day visit (17–23 August) by scholars from four universities in Beijing and Shanghai to the UK, focusing on the development of artificial intelligence and global governance. These visits were among the concrete measures agreed upon during Professor Zhao Kejin’s visit to the Global China Academy Centre on 20 January 2024, when cooperation between the two institutions was discussed. They also represent the fulfilment of the late Professor Li Qiang’s (1950–2023) wish — founding dean of the School of Social Sciences at Tsinghua University and former Chinese Chair of the Global China Academy Council — to continue developing the relationship between the two institutions [Note 1].

For this reason, both the Board of Trustees and the Council of the Global China Academy attached great importance to the visits of Chinese scholars from Tsinghua University and other institutions to the UK, and sought to sustain and deepen the partnership through collaboration with the School of Social Sciences at Tsinghua University. Based on the previous invitation letter template, Professor Tony McEnery, Chair of the Academy Council, and Professor Xiangqun Chang, President of the Academy, jointly issued the invitation letters, clearly stating that all activities and services would be organised by the Global China Academy, with related costs covered by the Institute for Global Industry at Tsinghua University. As the visits took place during the holiday period, the Academy ensured that each key activity would be attended by different members of the Academy’s leadership or Fellows.

In terms of logistics, transportation and accommodation were appropriately outsourced, while catering standards were deliberately enhanced. The Academy also proactively added a clause to the existing contracts specifying that any additional costs would be borne by the Academy. Drawing on decades of experience in exchanges with Chinese scholars, the Academy expanded the traditional Chinese intellectual ideal of “reading ten thousand books and travelling ten thousand miles” to include “dining on international cuisine and making friends from all corners of the world.” For Chinese visitors, for whom food carries deep cultural significance, “dining on international cuisine” became a way of practising the idea articulated by the renowned Chinese sociologist and anthropologist Fei Xiaotong: “appreciating the beauty of oneself, appreciating the beauty of others, sharing the beauty with all, and achieving harmony in the world” — also expressed as “harmony in diversity.”

Below is a brief introduction to the daily activities, accompanied by images. These serve not only as a record of the visits, but also as a way to uphold the authenticity, integrity, and transparency of academic work, demonstrating both the scope of the Academy’s efforts and the commitment behind them.