Golden grain

Peking University officially opened its first offshore campus on Sunday in Oxford, an event that also marked the beginning of celebrations commemorating Peking University’s 120th anniversary this year.

Set at Foxcombe Hall, a 15-acre estate located about five kilometers from Oxford University, The Peking University UK Campus is the first independently built and run Chinese university campus overseas.

The university purchased the late 19th-century manor in Oxfordshire as the overseas site for its UK campus last year. Courses focus on professional knowledge of China’s economy, the financial market and corporate management.

At the inauguration ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming called the campus “a visionary gift for the 120th anniversary of Peking University” and an important milestone in the history of China’s education exchanges with the rest of the world.

“In the Chinese calendar, 60 years form a cycle. Now, after two cycles, Peking University has come to a new starting point. Now is a good time to celebrate its achievements. More importantly, it is a moment to look ahead,” Liu said.

The opening of the UK Campus also included a twoday academic symposium. Nobel Laureates Thomas Sargent and Sir John Gurdon spoke at the symposium, while scholars from the UK and China discussed contemporary issues across a variety of fields, including international relations, science and technology, economics and globalization.

The UK campus mainly serves students from the UK and Europe.

Students will spend their first year on the UK Campus and their second year at the PKU Shenzhen campus in South China.

Additionally, all Chinese students enrolled in the Shenzhen program can apply to spend one semester studying at the UK campus. Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS) in Shenzhen will oversee the main administration duties of the UK Campus.